At first glance, The Instigators has all the hallmarks of a successful heist film. Directed by Doug Liman, who is responsible for the likes of Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the recent Road House reboot, there was a lot of potential. But we would be remiss if we did not address the elephant in the room.

The chemistry between leads Matt Damon and Casey Affleck often overshadows the two sexual harassment cases against the latter that were settled outside of court. Because even though the movie is stacked to the gills with impressive actors including Ron Perlman, Alfred Molina, Ving Rhames, and Michael Stuhlbarg, there is very little meat on these bones. What starts out as a very promising heist comedy loses steam after the first act. And the rest is just a prayer to get to the end of a film that only clocks in at 101 minutes.

That said, what really works for the movie is the little things as it tries to honor the promise of its premise. At this point in pop culture, everyone knows about Damon and the Affleck brothers’ Boston roots. Damon and Ben Affleck won an Oscar for the Boston-centric film Good Will Hunting and have maintained their friendship for the past two decades. For his part, this is not the first time that Casey Affleck has costarred alongside his brother’s best friend either. Both Damon and the younger Affleck were prime components of the Ocean’s series in the early aughts. This connection carries through to The Instigators.

Damon and Affleck act with the familiarity and humor that two lifelong friends should have. But that is where the delights of the film stop. After the first 30 minutes, the film loses the plot. It also suffers from drastic tonal shifts that make the story hard to pin down. The Instigators follows a former Marine, Rory (Damon), who is at his lowest. The first scene is a startling shock to reality as he confesses to his therapist, Dr. Rivera (Hong Chau), that if things don’t look up for him, he will consider taking his life. Not really the best setup for a comedy which is further undercut by the introduction to Cobby (Affleck).

And what an introduction. We come across Cobby as he has enlisted a neighborhood kid to breathe into a breathalyzer attached to his motorbike so he can unlock it and go to — you guessed it — a bar. This would be a fantastic introduction if viewers weren’t legitimately concerned for the mental state of Rory. At the end of the day, these factors ultimately define the film. Tonal whiplash is a near constant throughout the feature.

And while the leads have a great back and forth, the film doesn’t quite stick the landing of what it is trying to accomplish. By all accounts, Rory should be the straight-man to Cobby’s wise-cracking character. But The Instigators doesn’t quite try to commit to this dynamic. In different hands, perhaps it could have been a more heightened comedy about bumbling criminals in over their heads. But the film never quite goes that far. After the plan to steal Mayor Miccelli’s (Perlman) run-off celebration money goes awry, the events the characterizations of this odd couple disappear. Rory and Cobby become the scapegoats for the death of a cop, which means the film gets far heavier than it has any right to be. They try to escape law enforcement who are convinced they are cop killers. There is little time for funny shenanigans after that.

If it weren’t for the general camaraderie and joy between Damon and Affleck, The Instigators would be a tonally confusing dud. Plot threads including their bosses’ stake in the heist go abandoned, as well as Rory’s initial intentions. His main plot arc includes trying to get money to honor his financial obligations to his son which disappears by the climax of the film. After being arrested for their role in the heist, they get released only because of the new Mayor’s hypocritical corruption. This leaves both characters right back where they started, which feels like a waste of a movie.

Both Rory and Cobby have developed as people. Rory goes to see his kid play hockey and realizes he doesn’t need money to be a good father, while it is implied that Cobby seeks therapy from Dr. Rivera. But the film barely meditates on these internal struggles to begin with. The loss of money and a lackluster ending makes the final act of the film unsatisfactory. For all the love of Boston and the talent of its actors, The Instigators deserved commitment to the genre which could have resulted in truly hilarious fare. Given the right material, these two could have done wonders with a straight comedy akin to Ocean’s 11.

At the 2023 IndieWire Honors Awards Ceremony in December, Lily Gladstone was the recipient of the Performance Award for their work in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon as Mollie Burkhart.

In their acceptance speech, the actress was all too happy to honor the performance that they felt was “the absolute highlight of my career, the best work I feel like I’ve ever done, the most important story, elevating the awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women, missing and murdered sisters, working with the greatest, most visionary, most committed director of my life, working with somebody who I love very dearly and had the best chemistry I’ve had with somebody onscreen. The greatest love story that I’ve ever told in my career.”

But Lily Gladstone wasn’t talking about Flower Moon. They were talking about Fancy Dance, the narrative feature debut of Seneca-Cayuga filmmaker Erica Tremblay, known primarily for her documentary shorts Tiny Red Universe, Heartland: A Portrait of Survival, and In the Turn. At the time of the speech, Fancy Dance had not secured distribution of any kind. Apple TV Plus — which also distributed Scorsese’s film — acquired the rights to the film back in February. It released the film on streaming earlier today, and now that the wider world can see Fancy Dance for themselves, Gladstone’s words will ring as profoundly as ever.

Flower Moon flew on the wings of technical mastery, a juggernaut loaded with star power and prestige, but it harbored a perspective that — while good-intentioned — was ultimately not that of the Osage Nation, e.g., the very people it sought justice for. Fancy Dance, by contrast, doesn’t seem terribly interested in using its runtime to take colonialism to task. Maybe it doesn’t need to; colonial practices like those depicted in Flower Moon invite lacerating criticism, whatever their context. Instead, Fancy Dance operates with a softer but sharper authenticity, one that arises from a Native filmmaker who celebrates, and meditates on, a kaleidoscope’s-worth of emotion and experience in every line, frame, and story beat.

The film stars Gladstone as Jax, a Seneca-Cayuga woman who lives on the reservation with her niece, Roki (Isabel DeRoy-Olson). Roki’s mother and Jax’s sister, Tawi, has joined the seemingly endless ranks of missing and murdered Indigenous women. We watch as Jax juggles preparations for an upcoming powwow while providing for Roki, and searching for her sister. When CPS intervenes and threatens to take Roki from the reservation and place her with her white father, Frank (Shea Whigham), Jax and Roki take off on an impromptu road trip in search of Tawi, whom they hope to find in time for the powwow, and so that Roki can stay with her Indigenous family.

Right from the opening scene, it’s evident where Fancy Dance stands; in the wake of colonial fallout whose immensity is matched only by the immovability of Indigenous spirit. It’s unapologetic about the realities of missing and murdered Indigenous women, but it doesn’t want you to feel bad — or more precisely, not to feel bad as a punishment, but because that feeling might be a stepping stone; one that will hopefully lead to seeing — really seeing — the damage that so many institutions continue to wreak on the lives of Native people.

Under colonial parameters, Indigenous people are backed into a corner in which they must survive, but are subsequently punished for trying to survive. In Fancy Dance, this manifests most severely in CPS trying to take Roki away from Jax, and in the wedge that’s later driven between Jax and Roki because of the circumstances that they’re being forced into. In these circumstances, family and tribal bonds of togetherness are dissolved by force, which is tremendously harmful to individual Native people, and Indigenous cultures as a whole.

The chief emotion that Fancy Dance evokes, however, is hope. It expresses anger towards brutal, systemic, ongoing colonialism and the people who perpetuate it, to be sure, but a more prevalent element is the way its plot encourages us to think about how things could have been different, had settlers learned from Indigenous people, rather than attempting to wipe out their cultures altogether. This, in turn, encourages viewers to think about how they could incorporate Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing into their lives now.

It’s through the young DeRoy-Olson that Fancy Dance demonstrates this — the Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing — most effectively. As she tries to explain the meaning of powwows to her white step-grandmother Nancy (Audrey Wasilewski), Roki’s body language is a revelation; she may not explain that meaning verbally, because that meaning is not meant to be explained through words. That Nancy thought of powwows as more or less equivalent to ballet lessons is just one of the many ways in which Fancy Dance examines the gulf that still exists between Native and non-Native thinking, and it’s all done with an abundance of internal and external grace at the hands of Tremblay. To think that this is the writer-director’s first narrative feature boggles the mind.

And speaking of DeRoy-Olson — and, prior to that, of hope — the young actress positively flourishes as Roki. There’s a certain maturity that she balances with her youth; she’s able to evoke Roki’s narrative purpose as a character, while still making her believable. This alone is impressive, but she also portrays adolescent rawness and vulnerability enough for us to recognize that Roki —and the culture she represents — must be cherished and nurtured unwaveringly, now more than ever. DeRoy-Olson is worthy of the exact commendation that Lily Gladstone bestowed upon her in her IndieWire speech, and she’s riveting to watch.

That, dear readers, brings us back to Lily Gladstone, whose screen presence defies explanation. As Jax, Gladstone is both mountain and climber, necessarily vulnerable and fluidly determined, flawed and uncompromising, capable of great pain and greater laughter. To love Jax, and to love Gladstone, is to love love itself. The utter justice that Gladstone metes out to Jax, Fancy Dance, and the world around them is an honor to behold.

There should be no question that Indigenous stories need to be told by Indigenous voices. Scorsese can show us Osage blood on white hands, which may do wonders for the specific discomfort that white folks can and should feel about Native American history, but Fancy Dance — an Indigenous story, primarily about Indigenous people, told primarily by Indigenous artists — is interested in pure love, and pure love just happens to run counter to the world that was forced upon Indigenous people long (but not too long) ago. That power is immaculate in every scene.

So thank you Gladstone, thank you DeRoy-Olson, and thank you Tremblay for what you stand for; it is universal, and it is essential.

A gripping examination of the fall of World Championship Wrestling is finally available to view on Vice TV, which debuted Who Killed WCW? on June 4, 2024.

The series, directed by Howard Shefman, was popular the moment it landed on the streaming service, and with each episode it lures in fresh viewers. It starts from the organization’s low point, just ahead of WCW Senior Vice President Eric Bischoff’s rise, and follows the once-popular professional wrestling staple through its rapid ascension and even faster fall.

Two episodes of the series are already available to enjoy on Vice TV and Apple TV Plus, but wrestling fans are already eager for more. More is on the way, and soon, so clear your schedules for episode 3, titled “New Blood.”

Episode 3 of Who Killed WCW? release date, confirmed

Who Killed WCW? has plenty of story to tell, and it aims to deliver that story via captivating 44-minute episodes that slowly dig their way through the gritty details behind a behemoth’s demise. Starting with Eric Bischoff’s earliest days at the head of the WCW, his winning collaboration with Hulk Hogan, the series will eventually take us through the tragic decline of the only real competition for the WWE.

The first two episodes covered Bischoff’s takeover, the unmatched decision to partner with Hulk Hogan, and those fleeting early days of mass popularity. They’ve even taken viewers through the start of shaky territory, as the show’s biggest stars stopped putting WCW ahead of their own interests, and episode 3 is poised to continue the saga with the hiring of WWF writer Vince Russo, and the start of the end for WCW.

Vice TV is releasing fresh episodes of Who Killed WCW? on Tuesdays for viewers to enjoy, where episode 3 will join its predecessors on June 18. It’ll come available for streaming at 10pm via the streamer, and it can likewise be enjoyed on Apple TV Plus by anyone with a subscription to Vice TV.

We indeed live in a strange world where a movie can flop harder than a fish out of water at the box office, only to swim like a champion later on. Even ones that sink the rising star of its main MVP.

The movie, in question, has risen from its box office ashes like a phoenix on Apple TV and has been stubbornly clinging to the top 10 for months, as per FlixPatrol. What is the name of this bamboozling mess that crashed and burned through the box office?

Welcome to the paradox that is Argylle, a film that seems to have nine lives — or at least, two very distinct ones.

Released in February 2024, Argylle didn’t so much debut as it staggered into theaters. It’s a spin-off of the celebrated Kingsman trilogy, which set a high bar with its blend of slick action and sharp suits in its films — Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), and The King’s Man (2021) — that redefined the spy genre. Then along comes Argylle, expected to be a trilogy and kickstart a spinoff franchise of its own. What did it do? It tripped over its fancy shoelaces with a pitiful 33% on Rotten Tomatoes and a box office haul that barely scraped together $96 million worldwide on a $200 million budget. And its IMDb isn’t much to brag about either — 5.7/10.

With a star-studded cast featuring Henry Cavill, Samuel L. Jackson, Bryan Cranston, and even pop sensation Dua Lipa, one might ask how could it possibly go wrong in the first place.

What actually went wrong with Argylle?

Critically, Argylle was a classic case of style over substance. Despite attempting to inject fresh energy into the well-worn paths of its genre, it felt like retracing the steps of its predecessors with less finesse and more fatigue. Critics lambasted its attempt at novelty, pointing out that even its CGI looked as tired as the plot, and the action sequences seemed to be borrowing from every spy movie ever made, without adding anything new to the conversation.

Part of the crash is to be blamed equally on the director, maybe, when it comes to the decline of the Kingsman franchise as a whole. His last Kingsman project before Argylle, The King’s Man, performed modestly at best. Earning $126 million on a budget hovering just under $100 million. Adding to this, the prequel has a 6.3 rating on IMDb, whereas it’s predecessor, The Golden Circle, the second film in the Kingsman franchise, has a 6.7 rating. Again, while these scores are better than Argylle’s 5.7 rating, they are not a huge leap forward. So what does this tell us about Matthew Vaughn’s direction? If anything is left to be said, it’s that Vaughn had become too comfortable with the franchise.

But it’s not just Vaughn who is to blame. Timing is everything, and February is nothing. The month is notorious for being a dumping ground for mediocre films. Historically, January and February have often been the months where studios quietly release films they are less optimistic about, hoping to recoup at least a portion of their investment without the heightened competition of the blockbuster season. It didn’t help that it had a mind-numbingly bonkers plot that was flaunted by a trailer that put Henry Cavill in the center, even though the actor barely appeared in the film for a couple of seconds.

Not only was it a disappointing addition to the actor’s resume that had been seeing disappoints before it, but it also successfully buried the fanatic fan castings of Cavill as the next James Bond — from his hair to his outfits to his acting, everything about the actor in Argylle screamed “NO” to his potential to carry a spy thriller, let alone be 007. After losing Superman and bidding farewell to The Witcher, this ended up being a big blow to his “bankable actor” status in Hollywood.

So, what’s saving Argylle now? Perhaps it’s the low-stakes game of streaming that allows viewers to gamble an evening on something less critically acclaimed, or maybe it’s just the collective curiosity of an audience wondering, “Could it really be that bad?” Whatever the reason, director Matthew Vaughn seems to have found a glimmer of hope in Argylle‘s streaming success.

“We’re doing very well on streaming. People are liking it. Nothing would make me happier than making another one. I’m getting texts saying, ‘Wow, those reviews were f—ing harsh!’ The more we can get people to watch Argylle, the more chance we make another one. I’d love to make another one, we’ve got it planned. It’ll make a good little movie. We’ll see. Never say never.”

Vaughn said in interview with Empire

It’s clear that Vaughn is eager to capitalize on Argylle‘s newfound popularity and is already thinking about the possibility of a sequel. However, before getting too excited, Vaughn might want to consider how to recover the film’s staggering $200 million budget. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.

As with any year, there have been some right stinkers rolled out to screens big and small over the course of the year so far; from Madame Web to Tarot to the second Rebel Moon film, the dead-on-arrival train is filling up pretty quickly as it barrels towards the Razzies.

But sometimes, it’s more sincere to measure the gap between how bad a movie is and how much it telegraphed that, rather than just the quality of the final product. And so brings us to Argylle, the Matthew Vaughn spy thriller and the latest film in the Kingsman franchise, for some reason.

Indeed, Argylle shot itself in the foot way too many times to win over any critics, who blasted the meek grip on the film’s approach to humor and the severely twisty nothing-burger of a plot. Moreover, it didn’t even earn back half of its $200 million budget at the box office, coming in at $96.2 million, and with nothing else to show for it but memories of tedium.

It’s perhaps appropriate, then, that the Bryce Dallas Howard-led action comedy has been dominating on streaming, since that’s where it should have gone right from the get-go. And while it may be bossing one of the less competitive film charts in Apple TV Plus, a number one global spot is still a number one global spot.

Our best guess? Argylle become Background Noise: The Movie for many of those viewers, with the odd customer queueing it up as a crash course for how to make a two-hour and 19-minute movie feel like a 19-hour and two-minute movie.

After a faintly terrible 2023, Marvel is sure hoping this summer’s superhero tentpole release, Deadpool & Wolverine, draws in big crowds come July. Thankfully, Ryan Reynolds‘ continued popularity on streaming indicates that things are on the right track.

It’s somehow been a full six years since we last saw Reynolds suit up as Wade Wilson in 2018’s Deadpool 2, but the Canadian superstar definitely hasn’t been idle in that time, appearing in a stream of never-ending procession of high-profile projects, not to mention buying a soccer club and expanding his family with wife Blake Lively with the addition of two more kids, born in 2019 and 2023, respectively.

Thanks to our constant exposure to Reynolds, his star has never waned in the years since Fox went kaput, as attested to by the fact a movie of his that could be considered a dry-run for Deadpool 3 is shooting up the streaming charts at a murderous speed.

The last time Ryan Reynolds teamed up with multiple Marvel stars is coming for Captain America 4 and Morbius alums on streaming

Perhaps the biggest appeal about Deadpool & Wolverine is that it will allow Reynolds’ Merc with the Mouth to play in the wider Marvel sandbox for the first time, not just teaming up with Hugh Jackman but a roll call of familiar cameos. To check out the first time Reynolds shared the screen with what seems like half the MCU, however, go watch The Hitman’s Bodyguard.

The 2017 action comedy sees Reynolds as a disgraced former CIA agent who now works as a bodyguard being hired to protect a world-renowned hit man (the one and only Nick Fury himself, Samuel L. Jackson) who’s set to testify against a cruel Eastern-European dictator (Gary Oldman — not a Marvel alum yet, but it’s bound to happen sometime), on the condition that his wife (Eternals star Salma Hayek) be freed from jail.

And the Marvel crossovers don’t stop with just Jackson and Hayek either. Classic Loki Richard E. Grant is also on board in a supporting role. As is, not Jennifer Garner — who’s set for a cameo in Deadpool 3 — but her fellow Elektra Natchios actress, Elodie Yung.

Although it suffered from mixed reviews, the fact Hitman’s Bodyguard spawned a sequel in 2021 — The Hitman’s Bodyguard’s Wife, reuniting Reynolds, Jackson, and Hayek — shows you how popular it was with audiences. As does the fact it’s currently just jumped up eight places on the streaming charts to enter the top 10 most popular Apple TV Plus titles in the United States.

This means that it’s nipping at the heels of Blade Runner 2049, starring Reynolds’ fellow Hollywood Ryan, Ryan Gosling, Morbius veteran Jared Leto, and Captain America: Brave New World‘s own Harrison Ford. This is definitely making us crave a Deadpool vs. Red Hulk showdown in Secret Wars or Deadpool 4.

For those still yearning for a show to fill the void of The O.C. and others of its kind, Palm Royale is the answer. The new comedy takes on high society in a glossy trip to the beach.

The period piece takes place in the late ‘60s as one determined outcast tries to get into Palm Beach’s most exclusive club. Starring Kristen Wiig, the series follows Maxine, who is ready to start over when she moves to town. She quickly finds that the Palm Royale is the place to be if you want to make your way into high society. Like other social satires, the series explores the price you pay to fit in. (As Gossip Girl taught us, you’re no one until you’re talked about.)

However, it won’t be so easy for Maxine to find her place. The vapid world of the Palm Royale quickly sniffs her out as someone who doesn’t belong. Her biggest adversary is Evelyn (Allison Janney), who takes an immediate dislike to Maxine. Not to be deterred, Maxine continues to struggle uphill as she makes a name for herself and forges connections. Palm Royale finds inspiration from the book, Mr. and Mrs. American Pie by Juliet McDaniel. While not a one-to-one adaptation, the book weaves a similar tale where its protagonist Maxine tries to find meaning in winning a beauty pageant.

In the series, Wiig and Janney are only some well-known names in the star-studded cast. Also starring are Ricky Martin, Carol Burnett, Leslie Bibb, and Laura Dern in various roles. Fans will not want to miss Wiig’s return to the small screen.

Where is Palm Royale streaming?

Palm Royale is the most recent addition to AppleTV Plus. Arguably one of the most underrated streamers, the platform has an eclectic collection of television series and has a habit of greenlighting unique series that otherwise wouldn’t appear on television.

Fellow period series Physical had a specific perspective in its story as well. Starring Rose Byrne, the show explores Sheila Rubin’s attempts to get an aerobics studio off the ground as she lives with struggles in the ’80s. In addition to comedies, AppleTV Plus also offers a collection of gripping dramas such as Severance and Silo, gearing up for a season 2. The streamer is the perfect place for Palm Royale to find a home. The series airs on March 20, 2024, and will have a run of 10 episodes on AppleTV Plus.

Killers of the Flower Moon topped multiple “Best of 2023” lists among film critics and fans, and the Martin Scorsese-directed neo-Western was nominated for an outstanding ten Academy Awards at this year’s Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress in a Leading Role for Lily Gladstone.

Based on the 2017 book of the same name by David Grann, Killers of the Flower Moon follows the true story of the Osage Nation murders that occurred in Oklahoma from 1918 to 1931, referred to as the “Reign of Terror” by the Osage. After oil was discovered on their respective reservation, the Osage became some of the wealthiest people in early 20th-century America, making the Native Americans the target of a genocide by numerous white men, many of whom had married Osage women in attempt to claim headrights to their familial wealth.

As part of an offer by the movie’s production company, Apple Original Films, Killers of the Flower Moon will be available to watch for free. The deal is part of an outreach attempt to educate the public on the often-maligned, but never forgotten, story of the Osage murders, shedding light on one of American history’s darkest chapters.

How to stream ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ for free

The film’s stars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone, shared a joint Instagram post to explain the Apple TV+ Offer. “#KillersOfTheFlowerMoon is a powerful film that combats the erasure of Native peoples, culture, and communities. It is one that everyone should have the chance to see,” DiCaprio wrote on the post.

“To ensure that, Apple is providing 2 months of free access to Apple TV+.“

Named the “Killers of the Flower Moon Offer”, Apple TV is offering two months of the streaming app, free for all subscribers, until March 14th, 2024. As well as the Scorsese film, users can access other Apple TV shows and movies, such as the new Masters of the Air series, starring Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan.

After the trial ends, users will be automatically subscribed to the service, requiring monthly payments, priced according to their respective regions. Canceling during the trial period can result in the free trial offer being rescinded, so to avoid surprise payments, it is best to set a reminder nearly two months into the free trial.

This offer is for new subscribers only, and cannot be used if they have a pre-existing Apple TV subscription, which typically starts with a free trial period. In order to redeem the offer, users are required to include billing details.

Apple TV Plus’ Masters of the Air is the latest World War II series from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, inspired by the 100th Bomb Group of B-17 Flying Fortresses, recorded in history as the “Bloody Hundredth.” Actress Isabel May plays Marge Spencer on the show — and here’s why she looks familiar.

Surrounding May in the cast is a host of well-known faces like Austin Butler as Major Gale ‘Buck’ Cleven, who worked with Hanks in the Baz Luhrman bio-pic, Elvis. Meanwhile, Barry Keoghan is Lieutenant Curtis Biddick, hot off his shocking turn in Saltburn. As for May, her character, Spencer, is Cleven’s girlfriend, and like almost every other character on the show, Spencer is based on a real person. As a look at May’s acting resume reveals, it’s not the first time she’s played a character in a historical setting.

May was Elsa Dutton in ‘1883’

Before Masters, Isabel May played Elsa Dutton in the 2023 Yellowstone spinoff, 1883. Dutton narrated the series and was the daughter of James and Margaret Dutton, played by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. If you also watched 1923, another Yellowstone prequel, you may recognize May’s voice — she narrated that show, too.

Otherwise, May, who was 23 when Masters of the Air premiered, has appeared in TV’s Young Sheldon on CBS, Netflix’s Alexis & Katie, and the 2022 romantic comedy I Want You Back. Look for May in the thriller Sunflower, directed by Misha Green, with filming set to begin in summer 2024.

On playing Dutton, May said:

“I’m lucky to be a part of it. I don’t really know how I’ve had this opportunity. It’s difficult to find such depth and growth in a character especially at her age, considering the genre as well, being a Western it’s usually from a male perspective.”

via Country Living

Marge Spencer met a sad end

As mentioned, Isabel May’s Masters of the Air character, Marge Spencer, is based on a real person. Spencer met Buck Cleven while they were both kids, and they reconnected while Spencer was enrolled at Texas Tech University and Cleven was a cadet. Spencer stayed behind while Cleven joined the war effort in Europe. The couple married after the war in 1945, but in 1953, Spencer died in her thirties from a suspected brain aneurysm. Though he remarried, it’s said Cleven never got over her death.

Conceived roughly 10 years ago, the World War II drama Masters of the Air has finally hit the screens as a hier to Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg’s 2001 drama Band of Brothers. The first two episodes are already making headlines, so when are the rest scheduled?

After Spielberg and Hanks returned as executive producers to spearhead the 2010 series The Pacific, Spielberg’s father Arnold was all praises, but nudged him “Where’s the Air Force?” And for that question, we all can collectively thank the senior Spielberg for the iconic duo’s third World War II series we’re getting to witness in 2024.

The Apple TV Plus series Masters of the Air is based on Donald L. Miller’s 2007 book Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany. The narrative centers on the daring exploits of the Eighth Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group, a B-17 Flying Fortress unit, during World War II. The series stars Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Barry Keoghan, and Nikolai Kinski in leading roles.

Masters of the Air premiered on Jan. 26, 2024, on Apple TV Plus, and fans are thrilled by the adrenaline-fueled exploration of the Bloody Hundredth’s bravery and sacrifices in the Second World War. Even while knowing they would not make it, the crew performed daytime bombing sorties over German objectives at 25,000 feet, resulting in death, injury, or capture of 77 percent of the Eighth Air Force.

Here’s when you can watch the new episodes of Masters of the Air and catch the full story:

Masters of the Air episodes count

Like its two companions, Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010), Masters of the Air will be a miniseries delving deep into the narrative with one season only, comprising 1-hour long episodes. The series will have nine episodes in total, with the ninth episode unfolding as a super-sized finale lasting close to 2 hours.

Spielberg’s motivation behind the series is to keep World War II in sight as the years claim the lives of more and more veterans. Talking about what he aims to achieve with his back-to-back World War II series, Spielberg revealed to the New York Times:

“Through these dramas, we can tell these stories and get people to not only watch our series but to go online and start to explore and navigate the history of World War II. That’s a big win for us.”

Masters of the Air release schedule

Episodes 1 and 2 of the thrilling war drama have already hit the Apple TV Plus screens on Jan. 26, 2024, as a grand premiere. The series will now pick up a weekly release schedule, dropping one episode every Friday at 9:00 p.m. ET. Here is the full release schedule for all nine episodes of Masters of the Air:

• Episode 1, “Part One”: Jan. 26, 2024
• Episode 2, “Part Two”: Jan. 26, 2024
• Episode 3, “Part Three”: Feb. 2, 2024
• Episode 4, “Part Four”: Feb. 9, 2024
• Episode 5, “Part Five”: Feb. 16, 2024
• Episode 6, “Part Six”: Feb. 23, 2024
• Episode 7, “Part Seven”: March 1, 2024
• Episode 8, “Part Eight”: March 8, 2024
• Episode 9, “Part Nine”: March 15, 2024

One thing is for certain: We can hardly wait.

Ted Lasso, Silo, and now, Shrinking. Some of the best television shows of 2023 continue to prove that Apple TV Plus is one of the more underrated streaming services. And, following season 1, the series has finally gotten the news fans have been waiting for.

Created by Ted Lasso alums Brett Goldstein and Bill Lawrence, the hilarious show revolves around a decidedly unfunny concept. Struggling with the death of his wife, Jimmy (Jason Segel) can’t connect with his daughter, Alice (Lukita Maxwell), as well as his patients in his capacity as a therapist. Only when he has hit rock bottom does he decide to embark on the extremely unethical – yet amusing – endeavor of telling his clients what he really thinks. No more handholding and guiding his patients toward self-improvement. He’s going to force them there himself.

There is no doubt that Segel’s comedy stylings keep this show from falling into the realm of depressing content, but additional casting is on point. Jimmy’s practice is comprised of Jessica Williams as Gaby, as well as the inspiring casting of Harrison Ford as their boss, Paul. With equal parts gruffness and surprising levity, Ford’s presence in the series is the cherry on top. Shrinking has not been the phenomenon of Goldstein’s previous endeavor (we still can’t believe Keeley’s pick between Roy and Jamie). But its charm and resonant themes were enough to get a green light for season 2.

When does season 2 of Shrinking premiere?

Before Shrinking ‘s first season concluded, the writing was on the wall. The series was a massive success. From casting, to writing, to the devastating true-to-life emotions, the series was firing on all cylinders. In an easy decision, Apple TV Plus gave the go-ahead for another season of stress, grief, and laughs in a statement from the head of programming for the platform, Matt Cherniss.

“We have loved the engaging, touching and hilarious world of ‘Shrinking’ since the beginning, and it has been wonderful to watch as audiences around the world continue to connect with these big-hearted characters. We can’t wait for viewers to experience what the cast and creative team have for season two.”

The most recent information about a second season came out in March 2023. While a second season is a go, there has been no confirmation of an exact release date. The recent strike of Hollywood unions, WGA and SAG-AFTRA, most likely is a contributing factor to this. While we can hope for a 2024 release date, work stoppage has most likely caused a significant delay. What we can count on is the returning cast that has made the series so special.

As an executive producer and star of the show, Segel will undoubtedly be returning as well as co-stars Ford, Williams, and Christa Miller who plays an emotionally invested neighbor and Alice’s stand-in mother figure, Liz. Lawrence told Variety there’s a three-season plan for Shrinking and the main cast is expected to continue for the series until then. He has also given hints about what to expect in the future season. While the first season focuses heavily on grief, Lawrence says that season 2 will be more centered around forgiveness.

Forgiveness is something that the characters desperately need. Jimmy regrets his final argument with his wife, Tia, before she dies in a car accident. He then embarks on a sexual relationship with Gaby, who was Tia’s best friend. The show is a constantly moving wheel of emotion, which Segel said is supposed to mimic life.

“Brett [Goldstein] has put it really well: I think the line that we hit is sort of the tone of life. We all know people who are just properly miserable, and behave that way. And that’s a hard thing to pull yourself out of. But real people don’t try to show their feelings. They try to hide them. We laugh our way through the hardest moments. I think sometimes we cry our way through the most beautiful moments, because they’re so unexpected and rare. That’s exactly what the show does. It’s a reflection of how we actually experience these things.”

All these concepts and more are to be expected when Shrinking returns for season 2.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for the novel version of Lessons in Chemistry and possibly spoilers for Apple TV Plus’ limited series. 

If you’ve been on BookTok (a TikTok sub-community dedicated to book lovers) at all between 2022 and 2023, then you’ve heard about Lessons in Chemistry. 

The debut novel written by Bonnie Garmus became an overnight sensation and an instant New York Times Bestselling upon publication in April 2022. It spent 56 weeks on the NYT Bestselling list, was named one of NYT’s notable books of the year, and was chosen as Good Morning America’s book club pick.

It was also read and enjoyed by over three-quarters of a million readers on Goodreads, was named the platform’s Best Debut Novel of 2022, and was adapted into a limited series on Apple TV Plus. 

What you need to know going in

Trading her Marvel superhero costume for a lab coat, Brie Larson stars as Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant and unrelenting chemist at Hastings Research Institute navigating the 1950s patriarchy. Although her contributions to abiogenesis (the theory that life rose from non-life forms billions of years ago) blow that of her male counterparts out of the water, Elizabeth’s credibility is questioned at every corner. 

Along the way, Elizabeth meets and falls in love with Calvin Evans (played by Lewis Pullman in the limited series), a famous and renowned scientist with whom she works at Hastings. Because of her male-dominated field, Elizabeth dodges accusations that she’s “sleeping her way to the top.”

In reality, Calvin sees Elizabeth for the intelligent, funny, and opinionated chemist she is, and eventually, they have a daughter together, Madeleine Zott, or Mad Zott for short. 

Unfortunately, Elizabeth and Calvin never marry, so Mad being born out of wedlock becomes the crux upon which Hastings Research Institute hinders their decision to fire Elizabeth. Eventually, she is approached by Walter Pine, a television producer at KCTV who offers her a job as host of a daytime cooking show called Supper at Six.

Elizabeth accepts because she needs the income to support her family. She loves to cook, after all, and she’s great at it. She proceeds headfirst into the venture, but her adamant demand that she be able to incorporate chemistry into the gig goes overlooked by Walter until the cameras start rolling and it’s too late to stop her.  

Before long, Supper at Six becomes a national sensation, and Elizabeth is its unsuspecting star. All the while, Elizabeth works overtime to continue her chemistry career, even remodeling her home kitchen into a science lab. Supper at Six is fine and dandy, but chemistry is her passion.

She belongs in the lab, not the kitchen, and she will do anything in her power to get back to Hastings Research Institute, or any science lab for that matter. 

Still, there’s no denying Elizabeth’s magnetism. Women all around the world tune into Supper at Six religiously, keen to absorb any bits of advice Elizabeth imparts, which nine times out of ten contain a chemistry flair. Meanwhile, KCTV’s executive producer Phil Lebensmal loathes everything about Elizabeth’s unruly nature.

All he wants her to do is stick to the teleprompters, promote their sponsors, and smile. But Elizabeth marches to the beat of her own drum.

How does Lessons in Chemistry end?

By the time we near the third act of Lessons in Chemistry, an entire subplot has been co-existing alongside the nationwide uproar about Elizabeth’s tenure on Supper at Six. Mad, Elizabeth’s genius daughter, is on the hunt to learn more about her father, Calvin Evans. 

Now, one thing we didn’t state earlier that must be said now is that Calvin is accidentally killed early on in the book. We’re burying this detail in case the average reader wishes to experience that bombshell on their own. Nevertheless, his death creates ripples throughout both Elizabeth’s and Mad’s life. 

Determined to learn about her father, Mad buries herself in research at the library where she eventually crosses paths with Reverend Wakey, who, it just so happens, was once pen pals with her father. Mad is drip-fed various facts about Calvin from Wakey, her neighbor-slash-family-friend Harriet, and research of her own finding.

Over time, she learns that Calvin was an orphan at All Saints Home for Boys in Sioux City. His love for science took root after a mysterious man associated with a foundation began donating science books to the orphanage. 

Meanwhile, Supper at Six experiences a massive surge in ratings after Walter Pine takes over for Lebensmal as executive producer of KCTV. This came after Lebensmal’s attempt to physically and sexually assault Elizabeth for disobeying orders (an occurrence Elizabeth is unfortunately all too familiar with). As a result of Supper at Six’s uptick in popularity, Elizabeth is approached by Franklin Roth, an award-winning journalist, looking to conduct an exclusive interview for Life Magazine.

Elizabeth is accustomed to turning down these kinds of interviews because usually, all they want is an inside scoop into her relationship with Calvin Evans. This time, however, she’s reassured that the article will focus solely on her professional career. 

It does. The article is immaculate and peels back the curtain into Elizabeth’s career triumphs and tribulations. Unfortunately, that’s not the article Roth’s editor at Life wants to publish, so what goes out into the world is a superficial cover that glosses over any and all of Elizabeth’s accomplishments. Just like that, she is tossed back into the box society demands she live inside and her chemistry career is ruined. 

Elizabeth plunges into a deep depression that spans several months. Then, out of the blue, her former colleague at Hastings, Miss. Frask — who once co-conspired to get her fired —  reveals that she was so incensed by Life’s article that she wrote to complain.

As it turns out, the Parker Foundation — the foundation that funds research at Hastings — got hold of this letter and conducted an investigation into the unethical behavior at Hastings and its head honcho, Dr. Donatti. Frask now works as head of personnel and she wants Elizbeth to join her as head of chemistry. 

It’s all too good to be true, though. Elizabeth soon discovers that Avery Parker, the woman behind the Parker Foundation is actually Calvin’s biological mother. Knowing the turmoil Calvin endured at All Saints orphanage, Elizabeth is reluctant to pay Avery any mind, let alone accept the job as head chemist. However, Avery quickly explains the whole story.

It turns out that, like Elizabeth, Avery got pregnant and gave birth to Calvin before she was married. Worse, she was a teenager, and because of that, she was forced to give Calvin up for adoption. When she was old enough to seek Calvin out, she sent her lawyer Mr. Wilson to inquire after Calvin at All Saints. In the hope of squeezing some pity money from Mr. Wilson, the bishop at All Saints lied and said Calvin had died.

The bishop’s plan backfired, however, because the Parker Foundation traded money in favor of science book donations in Calvin’s honor. 

When Calvin eventually became famous for his contributions to science, Avery tried tirelessly to contact him. Under the assumption that she was a random lady seeking his money, though, Calvin ignored her. By the time she tried to seek him out in person, it was too late. 

Now, Avery is hoping to become a part of Elizabeth and Mad’s life, both professionally as the private funder of research at Hastings and personally as Mad’s grandmother.

No longer constrained by the obligations of the cooking show or prejudice in the workplace, Elizabeth resumes her abiogenesis research at Hastings, and the novel ends with her inviting Avery into her home for — you guessed it — supper.