Entertainment
The Best Sci-Fi Show Of The Last Decade Is Free To Binge Right Now
Sanctuary, the first show filmed entirely on green screen, is free to stream on Pluto and Tubi.
By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated
The internet was used to release “webisodes,” micro-budget television shows put together by determined artists. One of the best was Sanctuary, an eight-episode sci-fi series out of Canada.
SyFy was so impressed that it purchased the rights and made a television series out of it that ran for four seasons, from 2008 to 2011. Today, every episode is available to stream on either Pluto or Tubi, with no subscription fee and no additional charge. Great news, as the show was the first of its kind to be filmed entirely on a green screen.
Sanctuary starred Stargate-SG1‘s Amanda Tapping as Dr. Helen Magnus, the head of the Sanctuary network that provides a safe haven for Abnormals, mythical beings including mermaids, Bigfoot, and plenty of original creations for the show. Joining Tapping were Robin Dunne as Dr. Will Zimmerman, Emilie Ullerup as Ashley Magnus (Helen’s daughter), Ryan Robbins as Henry the lycanthrope tech genius, and Christopher Heyerdahl as Big Foot and also John Druitt, though he was known by the name “Jack” for part of the 19th century.
In addition to Abnormals pulled from myth, legend, and folklore, Sanctuary included historical figures, from a steampunk-powered Dr. Watson (Peter Wingfield) to Druitt being the real Jack the Ripper, and best of all, the delightfully deranged vampiric Nikola Tesla, played by Jonathon Young. This strange alchemy powers the first few seasons of Sanctuary as the team battles against the Cabal, a group that wants to use Abnormals for a nefarious purpose.
As with the inventive Farscape, the tight-budget constraints of a series put an emphasis on character and snappy dialogue over action sequences, giving Sanctuary a throwback feel to what sci-fi television used to be. That is, of course, except for the high-tech behind its production, since only a handful of episodes include physical sets. Other than those few episodes, the rest of the series was entirely shot on a green screen with high-definition digital cameras, the first of its kind to do so.
To help make Sanctuary a success, Amanda Tapping gave up extra pay as an executive producer, instead having her money go towards the creation of digital sets. The show was a passion project for all involved, and it shows, even if it didn’t elevate the genre as Battlestar Galactica did just a few years earlier, at its worse, it’s still a solid show that plays with the monster of the week format.
Standout Sanctuary episodes include Season 2 Episode 9, “Penance,” which features Amanda Tapping’s old co-star Michael Shanks as an Abnormal working with the mob. The multi-part season finale, “Kali,” includes a dance number, while Season 1, Episode 11, “Instinct,” plays with the found-footage genre by showing the episode through the camera of a news crew that wanders across an Abnormal hunt.
Halfway through the series, the “monster of the week” is scrapped to instead focus on an epic storyline about Hollow Earth, which significantly increases the show’s cast, adding new characters from another offshoot of humanity, including Adam Copeland (WWE’s Edge) as a Resistance fighter, and Adam Worth (Ian Tracy), the inspiration behind Jekyll and Hyde. At the same time, Sanctuary’s visual effects take a step up, with the impressive Hollow Earth city and a series of massive monsters taking center stage.
Not as funny as Eureka or Warehouse 13, but not as dark as Battlestar Galactica, Sanctuary strikes a balance between Syfy’s other original shows while embracing the “do more with less” philosophy of other Canadian shows, such as Lost Girl and Bitten. Easily binge-able thanks to Pluto and Tubi, the 59 episodes that make up the series will fly by, and though there was supposed to be a Season 5 that never happened, don’t worry, there’s a definitive ending.
Now’s a good time to watch Sanctuary, as MPCA reported a few years back that Amanda Tapping is on board for a revival series now that the rights have been purchased from NBCUniversal. There hasn’t been much news on the show since, except that they were looking around for executive producers, but as with her other famous series, fans are hopeful for a return to the world of Abnormals and twisted literary figures at least one more time.
Entertainment
Groks voice mode comes to Apple CarPlay
Apple CarPlay users just got another AI assistant option for their cars: Grok.
On Friday, SpaceXAI (the SpaceX’s subdivision that focuses on artificial intelligence) announced that Grok’s voice mode is now available in Apple CarPlay.
Technically, Grok was already available in CarPlay, but it merely consisted of a placeholder app that displayed a “coming soon” message. Now, you can tap on the Grok icon, launch a new voice chat, and start chatting to the assistant.
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Grok follows ChatGPT, which was made available in CarPlay in April 2026. Apple originally added support for AI chatbots in CarPlay in February.
As is the case with other AI chatbots in CarPlay, you can’t just invoke Grok via a voice command; you have to start the app manually before you can start talking to it. Another caveat is that you can’t issue Grok commands to do stuff on your iPhone or in your car, but you can ask it about…stuff.
Some Tesla drivers, on the other hand, do get the luxury of invoking Grok with a “Hey Grok” voice command. The functionality was added in the company’s latest “spring update,” though availability varies by region.
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Artificial Intelligence
Entertainment
Nintendo is raising the price of the Switch 2 — where to buy before the hike hits
Nintendo just announced that it’s raising the price of the Switch 2 due to “challenging business conditions” and the global economic outlook — crazy, considering last year’s demand for the Switch 2 put literally everyone into a buying panic, and the Super Mario Galaxy Movie has already grossed over $800 million.
According to the Associated Press, U.S. gamers will have to cough up an extra $50 for the console by September. (Japan’s price hike is happening later this month.) That’s basically the cost of a new game or a Pro Controller that you’re essentially handing back to Nintendo for nothing.
If you want to dodge the surcharge, you should probably grab your console sooner rather than later. Here’s where to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 at its original $449.99 price point:
Where to buy the Nintendo Switch 2
Amazon
The Nintendo Switch 2 is currently available at Amazon for $449 (a whole 99 cents cheaper than its usual MSRP). You can buy it as a standalone console or as a bundle with games like Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 and Mario Kart World. (Just be sure to look at the “seller” when shopping on Amazon; if it doesn’t say Amazon.com, it could be a sketch deal.)
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Best Buy
Best Buy also has the Switch 2 available as a console only or gaming bundle. You can get it today for $449.99. Plus, if you trade in a similar device, you could get a few bucks shaved off that price.
GameStop
If you’re a GameStop fan, you can get the Nintendo Switch 2 there for $449.99. If you’re OK with buying pre-owned, you can save an extra $32.
Target
You can get the Nintendo Switch 2 for $449.99 at Target, plus save 30% on Super Mario Galaxy with your purchase. The discount will auto-apply once you add the console and the game to your cart, so there’s nothing extra you need to do to get the deal.
Walmart
Walmart’s also offering the Nintendo Switch 2 for $449 or you can get the Galaxy Bundle for $499, which includes Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2.
Nintendo
If you prefer to buy direct, you can get the Nintendo Switch 2 console (and tons of accessories) right from the My Nintendo Store.
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Nintendo
Nintendo Switch
Entertainment
How to watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
After some incredibly tense Champions League action this week, the focus returns to domestic action over the weekend. There are a number of fascinating matchups in the Bundesliga over the next few days, starting with Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt.
The hosts are looking to secure second spot in the standings. They’ll face a tough test against Eintracht Frankfurt, a team that is gunning for European qualification. It should be an exciting contest in front of a passionate support at the Signal Iduna Park.
If you want to watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt?
Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET on May 8. This fixture takes place at the Signal Iduna Park.
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How to watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt for free
Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt for free by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
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Visit BBC iPlayer
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Live stream Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt for free from anywhere in the world
$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt without committing with your cash. This isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to live stream select fixtures from the Bundesliga before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries including the UK
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
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Fast connection speeds free from throttling
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Up to 10 simultaneous connections
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30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga for free with ExpressVPN.
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