Entertainment
The TV Decade That Made Lord Of The Rings Possible
By Jennifer Asencio
| Published
The 90s were the heyday of fantasy television programming. Some of it was iconic and still remembered today; other series are barely a ripple in fans’ collective memory. Fantasy has always been a more closed-off genre than science fiction, thanks to the popularity of Star Wars and Star Trek. However, before Aragorn and Frodo brought their fellowship to the big screen, TV set the stage by whisking us away to fantastic places, from other worlds to our own towns.
Fantasy has always been narrower than science fiction due to the limits it faces. Once magic evolves into machines, it becomes less fantasy and more like a flavor of sci-fi. The icons and the forgettable attempts in the 90s era of television created enduring classics. Not every series was intended solely for adults: several were tailored for young adults and children. Fantasy offers fewer entries into the genre but draws just as many dedicated fans as science fiction does.
Hercules Paves The Way
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, with Kevin Sorbo as the titular Hercules, starts the strongman’s adventures inside fantasy-infused Hellenistic Greece. Throughout the series, time is merely a suggestion as they meet groups of people separated not just by distance on a largely unexplored continent but also by centuries and millennia. The grand adventure begins with five made-for-TV movies that set the stage for characters and story elements. Hercules ran for an impressive 111 episodes before it was canceled during filming its sixth season.
The show is very episodic, with each episode being a largely self-contained story of Hercules and his sidekick Iolas helping a settlement, traveling band, or any of the other supernatural entities that inhabit this fantastical Greece, showing that the worst monsters are sometimes just as human as those around them. This wouldn’t be Hercules without him also having to overcome mythological menaces, from minotaurs to the whims of fickle gods.
Xena Alters The Course Of Television
Before she had her own show, Xena the Warrior Princess was one of the early sidekicks to Sorbo’s Hercules for three episodes. Initial plans called for her to be killed off, but she proved to be such a fan favorite that, as the Greek gods are known for, her fate was changed. It was that shift in the alignment of the stars that created one of the most enduring legacies of the 90s.
As an icon of the LGB movement with the unspoken romance between Xena and Gabrielle, the series altered the course of the television programming that came after it. Xena: Warrior Princess so immediately overtook Hercules in ratings and cultural influence that by the second season, it was the leading syndicated drama series on American television. Running for 134 episodes over six seasons, like with the Hercules plotline, time became a ball of yarn and production was the kitten batting it around without remorse.
Charmed By Three Sisters
One of the fantastical things about fantasy is that it does transcend time and place. Take the hit television series Charmed. Following three sisters who discover that they are witches destined to help protect the Earth against evil, Charmed ran for over 8 seasons and 178 episodes. It gave us many highs and lows, characters died, and new characters replaced them. Drama and action kept fans engaged throughout its run, which ended in 2006 after premiering in 1998. A reboot made in 2018 also lasted for three more seasons, but with different characters.
As a series, Charmed was more than just a show for girls; its female leads drew fans from everywhere. The series started close to the sisters as they learn their powers and the dangers of their new world. Minor threats like rival warlocks and old magical effects expand into multiversal enemies, such as demon lords, going so far as to include The Source of All Evil. What would a paranormal series about witches be without some romance? One sister ends up with an angel, another falls in love with a demon. Their family dynamics are rather complicated, making holiday dinners awkward.
Sabrina Makes Sitcoms Magical
While many of the other shows tried to have serious plots that lasted entire seasons, Sabrina the Teenaged Witch was a take on the fantastical in the modern day, but as a sitcom. It follows Sabrina from her first day at a new high school after moving in with her two aunts. Each season took place over roughly one academic school year. Being a sitcom, the episodes are all largely self-contained plots with a little carryover to from longer narrative arcs.
We aren’t just thrust into Sabrina’s world; we are given a chance to explore it with her as she learns about her powers, her family’s powers, and the wider supernatural world. The series starts with her first levitation with her aunts watching lovingly from the door. Throughout much of the first season, she blunders and bumbles through each misadventure, with the resolution happening by the end of the episode. She learns her aunts’ cat is actually a witch who was cursed into that form a century ago for trying to conquer the world.
The series aired for seven seasons, from 1996 to 2003, with 163 episodes, in addition to three made-for-TV movies. Sabrina the Teenaged Witch created an endearing legacy that saw a reframing with Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which ran for two seasons and did not get the traction the original had. We might all be waiting a while for more Sabrina shows as there are many hurdles that would need to be overcome in production, but the original episodes of this fun, charming series are available for free on Tubi, along with other streaming services.
Highlander: The Series Wins Awards
In the 1990s we got to see so many amazing adventures that to go over them all would fill this article and many others. Honorable mentions include the series Highlander, which saw Adrian Paul playing Duncan MacLeod and was an international hit.
Airing for six seasons and 119 episodes, the show was set outside the continuity of the films, where Christopher Lambert’s Connor did not win the prize. Nominated for several awards during its run, the show was highlighted by fan acclaim and the acting abilities of the cast.
Beastmaster Has Three Seasons Of Impact
BeastMaster does not have the staying power of the other shows as it only had three seasons and 66 episodes. It follows the new adventures of the beast master Dar in the fantastical world that he lives in.
There is plenty of action and adventure, but as the seasons progress, pacifism and themes of nature begin to emerge from Dar. It highlights an era of their world when technology is advancing, as the older ways of magic and naturalism are getting replaced. Mortal and immortal perils threaten Dar, his animal companions, and the wider world. To catch this wild ride, tune into Tubi and Roku while they’re still showing it.
Fantasy Horror Made Fun For Kids
Fantasy and sci-fi from the 1990s for kids could fill an entire article of its own, yet two shows are endearing and fun to watch. Both feature comedic, horror, and fantasy elements, as well as some episodes of great storytelling. Those two series are Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? ran for 10 seasons between 1991 to 1996. In 1999 it was revived for two more seasons, and then again much later in 2020, when it ran for three seasons until 2022. An anthology of horror, fantasy, and drama told in independent episodes, the show has endured because it has been a safe space for kids to explore the horror genre.
Goosebumps, which followed the books by children’s horror author R.L. Stine, aired for four seasons, with 74 episodes of horror, drama, fantasy, and sci-fi all thrown into it. As an anthology series, each episode or pair of episodes was standalone, telling a frightening tale, from haunted Halloween masks, a radio station only the dead can hear, and an evil sponge. 43 of the original 62 books were adapted into an episode(s) for this series, as well as a movie starring Jack Black.
1990s Television Paved The Way For Peter Jackson
With programming accessible to all ages, the 1990s stopped treating fantasy as a guilty pleasure and embraced it as serious entertainment. This helped pave the way for the success of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, the early Chronicles of Narnia movies, and other adult fantasy entertainment, especially as those kids grew up and introduced their own children to their childhood heroes.
Thanks to those efforts, fantasy is now thriving, with more Tolkien content coming out every day, as well as upcoming releases like Masters of the Universe and The Odyssey. Fantasy is alive in modern entertainment, and we have the 1990s to thank for convincing Hollywood to carry us away into magical worlds.
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for May 10, 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.
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
Design.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
DECOR
Mashable Top Stories
Hurdle Word 2 hint
Vertebrae.
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
SPINE
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
Hurdle Word 3 hint
Goal.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
GRAIL
Hurdle Word 4 hint
Not the most.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
LEAST
Final Hurdle hint
“Copy”.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
DITTO
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
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on May 10
The Moon is now in its Waning Crescent phase, which means we’re getting closer to the New Moon and a start of a new lunar cycle. Over the coming nights, visibility will reduce significantly. But for now, there’s still some features to be seen, so keep reading to find out what you can see on the Moon tonight.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Sunday, May 10, the Moon phase is Waning Crescent. Tonight, 46% of the moon will be be lit up, according to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide.
Without any visual aids, tonight you can see the Kepler Crater and the Aristarchus Plateau. If you have binoculars, pull them out to catch a glimpse of the Gassendi Crater, Clavius Crater, and Mare Humorum. Finally, if you have access to a telescope, enjoy gazing at the Apollo 14 landing spot and the Schiller Crater.
When is the next Full Moon?
There are two Full Moons in May, with the next due to take place on May 31.
What are Moon phases?
According to NASA, the Moon takes around 29.5 days to complete a full orbit around Earth, passing through eight different phases along the way. Even though we always see the same side of the Moon, the way sunlight falls on it changes as it moves, which is what creates the familiar full, half, and crescent shapes. In total, there are eight main phases in the lunar cycle:
New Moon – The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).
Mashable Light Speed
Waxing Crescent – A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter – Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.
Waxing Gibbous – More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon – The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous – The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) – Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent – A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
Entertainment
Review: Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2 are the best headphones you (probably) cant afford
Table of Contents
After spending a few months with them, I think the Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2 wireless headphones are the best headphones money can buy in 2026. That is — if you can afford them, which you probably can’t.
That’s not a knock on your earning capacity, but I’m making an educated guess that the average person can’t afford to drop $799 on a pair of headphones, no matter how good they are.
And they’re really good.
Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2 is a true luxury product
The PX8 S2 uses Nappa leather and aluminum.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
I have to admit — my favorite thing about the PX8 S2 may just be the design. I’m a sucker for headphones with metal and leather components, and I’ve often criticized Sony for its all-plastic approach to headphone design.
Like other B&W products, these headphones use a combination of die-cast aluminum and Nappa leather, which his known for its subtle grain and ultra-soft feel. Most headphones feature “vegan leather,” which is just a tricky way of saying synthetic leather, which is usually a petroleum and plastic-based product. (Side note: Rebranding a plastic product as vegan is one of the crueler marketing tricks in the consumer world.)
The controls on the PX8 S2 are simple and intuitive.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.
I love the design of the PX8 S2. The aluminum frame slides smoothly in and out of the leather-covered headband, and an exposed braided cable connects the earcups to the body. The metal touch controls are finely etched, and even the Bowers & Wilkins engraved on the earcups appears almost pixelated upon close examination. Every little detail is elegant and finely considered.
These headphones look similar to some other Bowers & Wilkins products like the Px7 S3 headphones, but with some nice upgrades. I will say, the headphones don’t look quite as good on you as they do on their own, and I have to give it up to the Apple AirPods Max 2 for overall cool factor.
But as I said when these headphones first came out, I still think they’re the best-designed headphones for sale right now.
How does the PX8 S2 sound? Really damn good.
These headphones are well designed down to the tiniest details.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
For its newest flagship headphones, Bowers & Wilkins engineered a reference-quality pair of headphones, and while I’m not an audio engineer, I think they succeeded. These headphones produce a rich, balanced sound that sounds vivid and clear across the audio spectrum.
I don’t hear any sacrifices in bass, mids, or treble when listening to Radiohead’s Kid A, one of my go-to albums for testing headphone quality. The chaotic instrumentals of “National Anthem” have never sounded clearer to me, and that holds true whether I’m listening to Radiohead, Florence + The Machine, or Vivaldi.
To produce such deep sound, B&W uses custom-designed 40mm Carbon Cone drivers, which the brand promises deliver “our best sound quality ever.”
Now, let’s get technical. Unlike the new Apple AirPods Max 2, these headphones support high-resolution lossless audio over Bluetooth, not just via a USB-C connection. The headphones support aptX Lossless, AAC, and SBC codecs. They deliver 24-bit digital signal processing for the highest resolution audio.
If you consider yourself an audiophile, these luxury headphones won’t disappoint you.
Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2: ANC is great, but not elite
The sound quality is superb, but noise cancellation is outshined by Bose and Sony.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
These headphones offer decent passive noise cancellation and high-quality active noise cancellation. On a commute, on a plane, or in a crowded office, they deliver more than enough noise cancellation for my needs.
That being said, if you’re looking for the best possible ANC, then the Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra (Gen 2) headphones still offer superior noise cancellation. At launch, these headphones were also missing the kind of spatial audio you’ll find on most flagship headphones. This has since been made available in an over-the-air update (look for the “True Immersion” setting in the app), but, once again, it’s not quite on the level of Apple, Sony, or Bose.
Likewise, while Sony and Apple both support Dolby Atmos, B&W doesn’t. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As a Bowers & Wilkins representative told me, most music isn’t produced for spatial audio. So, if you’re chasing true high-fidelity, reference-quality sound, immersive audio features can actually compromise the audio.
B&W PX8 S2: Battery and call quality
The PX8 S2 headphones have up to 30 hours of battery life with ANC on.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
The PX8 S2 offers 30 hours of battery life with ANC engaged, which is exactly on par with the Sony XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2. (Apple AirPods Max 2 have only 20 hours, in comparison.) You can also get seven hours of playback with a 15-minute quick charge. So, pretty much in line with what you’d expect.
That said, there are some outliers. The Dyson OnTrac headphones offered 55 hours of ANC listening all the way back in 2024. More recently, the Soundcore Space 2 and Sennheiser Momentum 4 also offer 50+ hours.
Lastly, I’ve been happy with the call quality (and the noise cancellation on call quality) with the PX8 S2. They have eight microphones total, which is four fewer than the Sony XM6, but I haven’t had any problems here.
How comfortable are these headphones?
Even the carrying case looks good.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
Mashable puts a big premium on comfortable headphones that can be worn for many hours without interruption. In recent years, the Bose QuietComfort line has been completely unmatched in this regard, and that remains true.
Because of the metal components, these headphones are heavier than some competitors. Notably, at 310 grams, the PX8 S2 do weigh less than Apple AirPods Max 2 headphones, which weigh 386.2 grams. However, the latest flagship QuietComfort Ultra headphones are lighter at 264 grams.
If you’re wearing headphones all day at work, you will notice the difference. That said, I haven’t found these headphones to be uncomfortable, even when wearing my glasses. You’ll have to decide if comfort or premium design is more important to you. Ultimately, you may prefer the lightweight feel of the Sony XM6 (254 grams).
The $799 question: Are the PX8 S2 worth it?
This question is really hard to answer unless I know how much you would miss that $799 in your bank account. For people who’d barely notice, these headphones are absolutely worth it, IMO. I’ve been using them for six months, and I’ve been unable to switch back to my Sony XM6.
I also think these headphones are durable and fairly futureproofed, so they shouldn’t need replacement anytime soon. I’m all for spending more for a longer-lasting, higher-quality product.
And yet… $799 is a big ask, and these headphones would probably be wasted on the average Spotify listener. But for audiophiles and people in the premium market, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
One last note: If you’re waiting on these headphones to go on sale, don’t hold your breath. Virtually all gadgets are getting more expensive in 2026, and these headphones almost never go on sale. When they do, they typically get a measly $10 discount. So, womp, womp.
Topics
Mashable Choice
Gadgets
Dynamo carry positive momentum into showdown at LAFC
Astros place LHP Bennett Sousa (elbow) on injured list
