Best of 2025: “Part Debate Club and Part Therapy”: Inside “The Pitt” Writers’ Room With Cynthia Adarkwa & Valerie Chu
It’s that time of year again—when we slow down, look back (overeat), and celebrate our favorite conversations from another surprising, often wonderful, and occasionally wild year in cinema and TV.
HBO’s The Pitt emerged as one of television’s most gripping medical dramas in years by doing something deceptively simple yet extraordinarily difficult: following a single, brutal 15-hour shift in a Pittsburgh emergency room in real time. What made the series so compelling wasn’t just its relentless intensity or unflinching medical realism (the “floating face”
Best of 2025: “Alien: Earth” Cinematographer and Director Dana Gonzalez on Bringing Cinema’s Most Iconic Monster to TV
It’s that time of year again—when we slow down, look back (overeat), and celebrate our favorite conversations from another surprising, often wonderful, and occasionally wild year in cinema and TV.
On Earth, everyone can hear you scream. No apologies for the dreadful play on the classic logline for Alien, which continues to reach new, strange heights in FX’s Alien: Earth, created by Fargo‘s Noah Hawley.
“Murderbot” Star Alexander Skarsgård Reveals How He Brought the Awkward Android to Life
Even though Alexander Skarsgård (Emmy winner for his nuanced and chilling performance in the HBO series Big Little Lies) is better known for his intense, dramatic roles—Robert Eggers’ 2022 Viking epic The Northman comes to mind—he has always been drawn to comedy. “My first job in Sweden and in Hollywood were both comedies,” the Swedish actor recalled, referring to his American debut in 2001’s wacky satirical comedy,
Melting Ice: How “Heated Rivalry” Became the Year’s Hottest Sports Romance
Based on Rachel Reid’s bestselling book series, "Heated Rivalry" has become one of the hottest sports dramas of the year.
“You Die, I Die”: “Stranger Things” Unleashes Dark New Trailer As Our Heroes Prepare to Risk Everything
The vibes are not awesome in the opening moments of the new trailer for Stranger Things‘ 5th and final season 5, volume 2, to be precise. Will (Noah Schnapp) says it as plainly as possible: “We failed. We never stood a chance.” His indefatigable mom, Joyce (Winona Ryder) won’t hear of it—this is not over, she promises her Upside Down-weary son, possibly the one person from Hawkins, Indiana,
Golden Globes: Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” Leads With 9 Nominations
Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" leads the pack with nine Golden Globe nominations, followed by Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value" and Ryan Coogler's "Sinners."
Runtime & Theater Locations Revealed for Massive “Stranger Things” Series Finale
With Vol. 1 of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things now streaming on Netflix, the big finish, the epic finale, is within grasp—and now we know just how epic it will be, and where you can see it on the big screen.
Fans will, of course, be able to enjoy the series finale in the comfort of their homes, but for those who want to take in the Duffer Brothers’
How “Stranger Things” Revived the 1980s: From Eggo Waffles to Kate Bush
Most people who lived through the 80s remember the big hair, questionable neon fashion, and analog inconveniences with a mix of fondness and maybe some regret. And yet, somehow, Stranger Things has convinced Gen Z that physical media is cool and mullets should make a comeback. Fashion quickly followed, with people searching for vintage denim jackets and other 80s-inspired clothes.
What started as a supernatural adventure set in 1983 has grown into a cultural force that does far more than reference nostalgia.
The Boy Who Survived: Will Byers’ Journey to the “Stranger Things” Finale
Since returning from the Upside Down in the first season, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) has never truly been the same. Haunted by possession, sensing the hive mind and the lingering presence of Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), Will moves through Hawkins with the weight of an entire other world on his shoulders. Some fans believe that Vecna was the force that first pulled Will into the darkness, setting everything in motion.
“Stranger Things” Season 4 Recap: Getting Upside Down From Eddie’s Guitar Solo to Vecna’s Revenge
We took you through the first three seasons of all the supernatural doings in Hawkins, Indiana. It’s not often that a show surges to its peak level of popularity in the fourth season, but that’s precisely what happened with the Duffer Brothers’ juggernaut series. Stranger Things season 4 broke records and the internet. In June 2022, The Credits wrote that season 4 “smashed the record for the best premiere for an English-language series,
“Stranger Things” Seasons 1-3 Summary: What You Need to Know Ahead of Season 5
You may have watched all 35 hours of Stranger Things seasons 1-4, but with those releases spread across the past decade, many viewers are in need of a recap. Season 5 is set to be even more jam-packed and arrives at the speed of a scampering demogorgon on November 26. Volume 1 consists of the first four episodes and runs 4 hours and 31 minutes. Run times for Volume 2, which streams on Netflix on Christmas Day and consists of three episodes and the finale.
“Stranger Things” Unleashes Kinetic Final Trailer for Season 5, Vol. 1
The final trailer for Stranger Things season 5 (volume 1) has arrived, revealing our fearless Hawkins’ heroes have a plan to take the battle to Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and end his reign of terror once and for all. “I want to see Vecna’s heart on a platter,” says the always game Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and his comrades agree.
The new trailer isn’t nearly as long as the bombastic,
C’est La Vie: “The White Lotus” Season 4 Is Going to France
While it seemed like the most likely destination for a while now, HBO and HBO Max Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys finally said oui, Mike White‘s The White Lotus will be heading to France for season 4.
Bloys confirmed France as the destination for White’s perennially buzzy series during Thursday’s HBO Max programming slate presentation in New York.
“It’s going to be in France,” Bloys said at the presentation,
“A House of Dynamite”: How Production Designer Jeremy Hindle Built a Nuclear Crisis in Real Time – Part 2
Filmed primarily in New Jersey with the help of $30 million in production incentives, Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite is a sobering look at how the response to a nuclear attack on U.S. soil might unfold. It’s not an easy watch, but it’s relentlessly compelling and superbly crafted, hallmarks of Bigelow’s distinguished career.
The cortisol-triggering film follows major players in the government during the 20 minutes before an inbound nuclear missile hits a major American city.
How “The Beast in Me” Cinematographer Lyle Vincent Brought ’70s Noir to Netflix’s Claire Danes Thriller
The Beast in Me opens on a tableau of sorrow. Claire Danes, who plays author Aggie Wiggs, is driving her son Cooper (Leonard Gerome) when the unthinkable happens: a car accident takes his life. In the aftermath, her partner Shelly (Natalie Morales) rushes towards her, calling out for him. Drowning in pain, Aggie’s bloodied face can only twist a piercing scream underscored by a cacophonous mix of music and effects. The bleak moment abruptly cuts to a close-up of her against a warm,
Inside Camtec: The Boutique Camera House Behind Films From Damien Chazelle, Denis Villeneuve, Bradley Cooper & More
“We support everything from large-scale blockbusters to high-end commercials to intimate indie films. The scale may change, but our approach doesn’t: we give each production the same level of care, attention, and collaboration,” says Kavon Elhami, the CEO of Camtec, an equipment rental company located in Burbank, California.
For nearly four decades, the boutique shop has been servicing (and collaborating) on countless projects, including Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival,
Netflix Drops the Epic, Nearly 3-Minute Long Trailer for “Stranger Things” Season 5
The official trailer for the 5th and final season of Stranger Things has arrived, opening with a shot of the seemingly immortal Vecna intoning We can begin. At nearly three minutes long, this is the kind of meaty, bombastic look at the final season of what has inarguably been one of the defining shows in Netflix’s history. The trailer gives you a sense of the massive size and scope of the final season,
No Snow, No Cell Service, No Problem: “The Last Frontier” Location Manager Michèle St-Arnaud on Making Apple TV’s Wilderness Thriller
For location manager Michèle St-Arnaud, Apple TV’s espionage thriller The Last Frontier is her swan song. The Montreal native is bringing to a close a remarkable four-decade career defined by her collaborations with top-tier directors, including John Crowley, Paul McGuigan, Roland Emmerich, David Fincher, and Denis Villeneuve. “In French, we say le chant du cynge,” she says with a smile. “I’m still in the business in other ways,
“Stranger Things” Two-Hour Finale To Get Historic Release in Theaters on New Year’s Eve
Stranger Things is going to go out with the biggest possible bang for a television series. The Duffer Brothers’ game-changing Netflix series’ two-hour finale, titled “The Rightside Up,” will have a simultaneous premiere on the streamer and more than 350 movie theaters on December 31st, beginning at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. The finale will stay in theaters through January 1, 2026.
It’s an appropriately historic end for a series that has been a phenomenon on Netflix and made stars of many of its cast members,
The Invisible Architects: How Two Visionary Production Designers Launched a Global Movement
If a film’s visuals tickle the eye, scorch the heart, or linger in the consciousness long after the credits roll, you can thank the production designer. Whether the project is a blockbuster or a low-budget indie, the production designer is tasked with creating that elusive “look” of the film and translating the director’s vision into visual reality.
“A complaint often raised with production designers, like other ‘below the line’ [artisans],
