As well as bringing talent to the field, The Twilight Zone was also notable for using science fiction allegory as a way to talk about political and social issues that advertisers and censors would otherwise not touch with a ten-foot pole. In steps Gene Roddenberry, with a concept he describes as “a wagon train to the stars.” His opening pitch is “Action – Adventure – Science Fiction. The first such concept with strong central lead characters plus other continuing regulars....

The Book of Boba Fett Episode 5 Finally, The Book of Boba Fett gets good…by becoming a different show entirely. You could watch this episode completely independently, as a bridge between season two of The Mandalorian and the upcoming season three. The shift shines an even bigger light on Boba’s lack of an arc within his own show, but it’s hard to complain when Bryce Dallas Howard‘s direction on the usual Jon Favreau script brings so much entertainment....

As the Emperor says at one point in The Rise of Skywalker, this will be the final word in the story of Skywalker. After eight movies’ worth of adventures across the galaxy far, far away, it all comes down to a final battle on Exegol, the secret planet of the Sith, where a resurgent Emperor Palpatine has waited 30 years to set his master plan into motion. It’s on this planet of lightning and smoke that Rey, Ben Solo, the Resistance, and the Final Order converge, all according to Palpatine’s design....

Twelve episodes later, Cassian is at a crossroads on Andor. After murdering two Pre-Mor officers and fleeing capture on Ferrix, things haven’t gotten any easier for our protagonist. Although he hoped to enjoy an extended vacation on the party planet of Niamos after pulling off the heist on Aldhani, he soon witnesses firsthand the terrible atrocities being committed by the Empire under the galaxy’s very nose in the prison on Narkina 5....

Throughout the ’90s, other books like The Truce at Bakura by Kathy Tyers, The Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy by K.W. Jeter, and the X-Wing novels by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston explored what the galaxy was like directly after the fall of the Empire. There was also The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton, which finally gave Star Wars fans a key moment in the timeline that had been missing: the events that led to Han and Leia getting married four years after the trilogy’s climactic battle....

Operating under an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mantra, Stranger Things season 4 is absolutely packed with ’80s-set science fiction, horror, and adventure. Once again, our heroic kids from Hawkins (with a few of them now relocated to Lenora Hills, California) must confront a mystery from the Upside Down. In this case, who is this demonic wizard Vecna and why is he so hopelessly addicted to breaking human bodies?...

For all of its dream demons and trans-dimensional government plots, Stranger Things does feature one completely realistic story element. In the six years since the first season premiered on Netflix, we have watched the four main boys grow up and grow apart. Fissures between the primary friend group were already present in the series’ third season, as Mike, Dustin, and Lucas all had girlfriends that consumed their time more than the Dungeons & Dragons they loved to play....

Still, through three seasons of nostalgia-tinged spookies, Stranger Things has mostly stayed in the realm of monsters. Whether it was the Demogorgon, its “Demo-dogs”, or the skyscraper-sized Mind Flayer, Stranger Things’ big bads have been more Dungeons & Dragons style creatures from the Upside Down rather than your traditional things-that-go-bump-in-the-night spirits. Perhaps, however, that is all set to change with Stranger Things season 4. During Netflix’s global fan event, TUDUM, Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers and actors Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson) and Joe Keery (Steve Harrington) unveiled the latest sneak peek at the upcoming season set to premiere in 2022....

cough Well, it feels fair to say that we didn’t hear many fans begging for Steve (from Minecraft) to be added to the game. Leading up to the reveal, some of the top requests we heard were Crash Bandicoot, Geno from Super Mario RPG, and Sora from Kingdom Hearts. Steve (whose domain largely includes, but is no longer limited to, the realm of Minecraft) wasn’t exactly a chart-topper. As such, there are currently man Smash fans voicing their displeasure across the internet....

Superman & Lois Episode 11 If you just tuned in to Superman & Lois episode 11, “A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events” a few minutes in, and perhaps without having seen the previous episodes, you might be forgiven for thinking that this is in fact the pilot episode for a brand new show about the Man of Steel. While every other Arrowverse superhero began life with a fairly detailed origin story episode (or season!...

Even on TV, at least in live action, it seemed like telling a “Superman story” wasn’t enough. 1993’s Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman fancied itself a high concept take on the legend, leaning heavily into newsroom drama (at least in its first season) and romantic comedy. Even the wildly successful Smallville proudly touted a “no tights, no flights” policy as it told its tale of a young Clark Kent who wanted anything other than to be a hero....

Karen Macdonald in Coronation Street The Street’s where it all started for Jones, playing the mouthy, ambitious Karen McDonald (née Philips) to audiences of almost 20 million four nights a week. Jones won two ‘Most Popular Actress’ National Television Awards on the bounce for Karen, a dynamic Manc who dressed like she was in a girl band, always stood her ground and wouldn’t think twice about throwing her pint over you/threaten you with a stiletto heel if you crossed her....

The suit. The ‘tache. The smile. The preternatural speed with which he’s able to snatch a marshmallow from an opponent using a pair of kitchen tongs. There’s a great deal to admire about Taskmaster series 11 contestant Mike Wozniak, so admire him we will. Right here. Starting now. Tick tock: it’s Wozniak o’clock. Who is Mike Wozniak? He’s an absolute bloody milk guzzler, that’s who. Like Harry Hill, Graham Chapman, Graeme Garden and Paul Sinha before him, Mike Wozniak trained and worked as a doctor before becoming a stand-up....

So, what went wrong? While Bale might say it has something to do with a production assistant messing up lighting, Salvation director McG recently offered his own thoughts. “We got so close to nailing that thing right,” McG told The Hollywood Reporter. “I got a lot right in that movie but didn’t quite stick the landing.” The ending that they didn’t stick finds Connor mortally wounded in a resistance attack that destroys Skynet’s supply of weapons, including the newly-designed T-800s....

The Adam and Joe Show Back in the mid-1990s, before the onslaught of Star Wars nostalgia, before YouTube and before George Lucas did something unmentionable to most people’s childhoods by creating episodes 1-3, Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish were still messing about in their toy box. Dusting off and setting up their old Kenner Star Wars figures, Adam and Joe produced numerous parodies, routinely casting R2D2 and C3P0 as a gay couple and Obi-Wan as a drunken Geordie....

Those are the terrifying words delivered by The Batman star Robert Pattinson after beating a very brave gang leader’s face into mush during one of the movie’s most buzzed about scenes. Since its debut in the film’s very first trailer, the “I’m vengeance” scene has become the subject of countless social posts, memes, and gifs. For some fans, it’s also the moment that finally sold them on the idea that Pattinson could embody a character as dark as Batman....

Without further ado, here are our favourite horrors based on real events. Dead Ringers (1988) Arguably the last flat-out masterpiece of David Cronenberg’s exceptional mid-1970s/late-1980s run of films, Dead Ringers also marked a transitional moment for the filmmaker as he ventured beyond the visceral body horror he was best known for into realms of psychological exploration and dislocation. Starring Jeremy Irons in a stunning dual performance (for which he was ridiculously overlooked at Oscar time) as twin gynaecologists who descend into madness and addiction, the film’s screenplay was loosely adapted by Cronenberg and Norman Snider from a novel called Twins by Bari Wood....

Ok, who saw that coming? The Boys waited until the very last moments of its Season 2 finale, ‘What I Know’, to finally reveal the identity of its mysterious head-popper after quickly dismissing the leading prime suspect, Vought International CEO Stan Edgar, and now we know whodunnit – Victoria Neuman, the show’s whip smart Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-esque Congresswoman and Butcher gang ally. In a cracking, extremely satisfying finale that brought us a huge helping of delightful moments – Billy’s parting advice to Ryan!...

So I have to say, I’m a little surprised by The Defenders. While the show is an excellent return to form for Marvel’s stable of Netflix shows, it’s surprisingly light on Marvel Comics mythology. That’s not necessarily a bad thing (we don’t need easter eggs in every single scene), but given how jam-packed every other season of the Marvel Netflix shows was, I expected a little more. Then again, with all the world building they did in five other seasons of TV, I guess I can kind of understand why this is the way it is....

Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 1 has finally arrived on Disney+. Now, those of you hoping for mystery box storytelling and surreal weirdness the likes of which we got from WandaVision may be a little disappointed. But those of you looking for some gritty street-and-spy-level action with a deeper look at life in the post-Snap/Blip MCU, well, you’re in luck. Oh? But you’re here for Marvel Comics and MCU Easter eggs, you say?...