Entertainment
Polarizing Comedian's Raunchy New Netflix Series Is A Refreshing Take On A Tired Trope
By Robert Scucci
| Published
I’m going to lay all my cards out on the table and admit that I am not really a fan of Bert Kreischer’s comedy or public persona. After his 2016 and 2018 comedy specials, The Machine and Secret Time, I saw all I needed to see because he’s pretty much a one-trick pony who doesn’t really change up his act. He does that trick well, but I pretty much saw everything I needed to see. He takes his shirt off, tells out-of-pocket stories about his family, and presents himself as your average everyman who always wants to be the life of the party, and his die-hard fans love it.
On podcasts, he talks with too much self-importance, inserts himself into every one of his guests’ stories, and has a laugh that makes me want to shove a live earwig into my head and let it start chomping away at my brain.
The only reason I wanted to check out his new Netflix series, Free Bert, was to hate-watch it. I rarely do this, but I also wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt because series and movies starring stand-up comedians are hit or miss, depending on the writing and acting. I can’t stand Jerry Seinfeld when it’s just him and a microphone, but throw Larry David’s writing in the mix, along with characters like Elaine, George, and Kramer, and you have a great show like Seinfeld.
I feel the same way about Bert Kreischer in Free Bert for reasons I’m about to get into. If you like the idea of Bert Kreischer, but think he’s a little much, Free Bert offers the balance you may be looking for.
Based On His Comedy, But Reeled In Just Right
The best way I can describe Free Bert is as your typical raunchy family sitcom, with all the familiar beats. You have Bert, obviously portrayed by Bert Kreischer, an overweight, dim-witted husband who’s repeatedly humbled by his conventionally attractive wife LeeAnn (Arden Myrin), and two foul-mouthed daughters, Georgia (Ava Ryan) and Ila (Lilou Lang). It’s a real Married … with Children kind of setup that almost always works. It especially works for Kreischer in this context because I already said I find his persona unlikeable, and half the fun is watching him get his ass handed to him by his own hare-brained schemes while his family laughs at him for being so stupid.
As for Free Bert’s six-episode story arc, Bert’s kids go to private school and have trouble fitting in, mostly because their dad is Bert Kreischer. Bert immediately gets in trouble with the school after some of his stand-up bits are shared with the faculty, humiliating his daughters. In his efforts to smooth things over, Bert starts wearing a shirt and trying to fit in with the other parents.
When Bert learns that Georgia has a crush on Zac (Braxton Alexander), he’s devastated because he’s worried that he’s going to have somebody trying to Netflix and chill with his daughter. Learning from Zac’s father Randy (Matthew Del Negro) that he’s about to undergo scrotal surgery, he instead encourages the relationship because it means that Zac won’t be able to make a move on Georgia, at least any time soon.
Meanwhile, LeeAnn faces obstacles of her own because she’s also trying to smooth things over with the Vanderthal family, but is constantly condescended to by the family matriarch, Chanel (Mandell Maughan). Her husband, Landon (Chris Witaske), has also befriended Bert, resulting in exactly the kind of crossed wires and miscommunications you’d expect from a family sitcom operating in this lane.
Everybody Knows The Assignment Here
While I’m not going to climb the highest mountain and tell everybody to watch Free Bert because it’s the best show ever, I have to give credit where it’s due. If this was just a new show and you had never heard of Bert Kreischer in your life, he kills it here. He reliably dials in as your typical sitcom dad, and his family provides the perfect balance.
I was most impressed by Lilou Lang’s portrayal of Ila because she constantly puts her dad in his place, but there’s also an underlying affection and alliance that holds it all together. That dynamic ends up doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
Kreischer could have really messed this up by leaning too hard into all of his bits and shtick, but Free Bert is smart enough to establish that he’s a comedian who takes his shirt off, needs to change his public persona so his family can be taken seriously, and then actually follows through on that idea. He’s straight-faced when he needs to be, and the moments where he goes full Bert are chosen carefully so he doesn’t wear out his welcome.
It feels like all of the best parts of Kreischer’s act have been distilled into an easily digestible sitcom setting, and he just rolls with it. The result is a surprisingly satisfying watch. I won’t be keeping an eye out for any more of his comedy specials, but if Free Bert gets renewed for a second season, I’ll check it out. Six-episode seasons are nothing, and there’s real potential here.
Free Bert is streaming on Netflix.
Entertainment
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 19, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will be a little easier if you love baseball.
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: AL East Teams
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Green: First Words of Football Positions
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Blue: Premier League Managers
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Purple: Nicknames for the Dodgers Franchise, Over Time
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 #573 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
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AL East Teams — BLUE JAYS, ORIOLES, RAYS, YANKEES
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First Words of Football Positions — DEFENSIVE, RUNNING, TIGHT, WIDE
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Premier League Managers — EMERY, GUARDIOLA, MOYES, SLOT
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Nicknames for the Dodgers Franchise, Over Time — BRIDEGROOMS, DODGERS, ROBINS, SUPERBAS
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
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 19, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you have a sweet tooth.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. 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 today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of 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 until the game ends.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
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 categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Lippy
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Green: Gowns
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Blue: Played in Vegas
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Purple: Sweet treats
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Cheeky
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Green: Dress measurements
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Blue: Cards in Texas Hold ‘Em
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Purple: Last words of candy brands in the singular
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 #1043 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Cheeky: ARCH, FRESH, SASSY, WISE
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Dress measurements: BUST, HIPS, LENGTH, WAIST
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Cards in Texas Hold ‘Em: FLOP, HOLE, RIVER, TURN
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Last words of candy brands in the singular: CAP, DUD, KID, MINT
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new 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? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.
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
NYT Strands hints, answers for April 19, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re constantly changing.
Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme linking every solution, along with the “spangram,” a special, word or phrase that sums up that day’s theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you’re feeling stuck or just don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Small change
The words are related to changes.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe fine-tuning.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is There I Fixed It.
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NYT Strands word list for April 19
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There I Fixed It
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Adjust
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Modify
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Alter
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Improve
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Tweak
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Refine
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page has more hints, and 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 Strands.
Cody Bellinger homers twice, as Yankees eclipse Royals
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 19, 2026
