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As much as Hollywood has been wringing its hands over franchise fatigue, consider this: In July, a Spider-Man movie made $168 million at the box office in one day, and the top streaming series was a Game of Thrones spinoff.

Fortunately, if you are hungering for something original, you can still catch innovative comedy series like The Bear and Widow's Bay, or tense thrillers like FROM and Cape Fear (well, OK, that last one is a remake of a 1990 Martin Scorsese movie that was a remake of a 1962 Gregory Peck movie that was an adaptation of a book, but the point stands). Here are all of July's most-watched series, according to data from streaming information repository JustWatch.

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House of the Dragon

Seems we still aren't sick of dragons and incomprehensible political intrigue: The third season of House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel based on a fake history tome by George R.R. Martin, came roaring back to the top of the streaming charts. With the season finale landing this weekend, fantasy fans will have to wait until the arrival of season two of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for their next Westeros fix. You can stream House of the Dragon on HBO Max.

Silo

Another book adaptation returning for a third season, Apple TV's Silo continues to track the downward spiral of the dregs of humanity, living together underground in a cavernous edifice that goes all the way down. If you've been wondering how things got so bad, this season goes back in time to reveal the source of humanity's downfall. (Unsurprisingly, humans are to blame.) You can stream Silo on Apple TV.

The Bear

Across four seasons, we've watched neurotic chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) flame out as an elite chef, return to his humble beginnings in his family's Chicago sandwich shop, try to turn said sandwich shop into a fine dining establishment, experience ups and downs in his business and personal life, and finally, at the end of season four, quit the food industry altogether. Taking place mostly over the course of a single day, the fifth and final season explores the immediate aftermath of that monumental decision—on Carmy, and the rest of the restaurant's partners and kitchen staff. It's a fitting goodbye for one of the most lauded TV series ever. You can stream the final season of The Bear on Hulu.

Widow's Bay

This series from Apple TV has won nearly unanimous praise from both critics and audiences. It's a rare horror-comedy that manages to be genuinely scary and really funny. In the island town of Widow's Bay, literally everything is haunted, cursed, and otherwise beset with unspeakable evil, but Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) still really wants to bring tourism to the island. Mayor Tom is so married to his vision of Widow's Bay as the next Martha's Vineyard, he ignores the sea hags, fog monsters, and serial-killer ghosts surrounding him. The great Stephen Root plays Wyck, an old-timer who's always there to remind everyone that time is short and everyone is doomed. You can stream Widow's Bay on Apple TV+.

Lucky

Based on the bestselling novel by Marissa Stapley, Apple TV's latest hit stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular con artist. Her name proves to be a tad ironic after her latest job goes wrong and she finds herself the prime target of both the cops and the dangerous crime boss—who also happens to be her mother-in-law. Annette Bening is clearly having a grand time playing the ruthless Priscilla Masterson, who blames Lucky for the loss of $10 million she and Priscilla's son Cary (Drew Masterson) stole—never mind that Cary eventually ran away with it. With a supporting cast that includes Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Timothy Olyphant, it's a fast-moving thriller with a sense of humor and an irresistible lead character. You can stream Lucky on Apple TV.

Ride or Die

This London-set series stars the ultimate odd couple. Octavia Spencer plays Debbie, the American wife of a British politician, and Hannah Waddingham plays her good friend Judith, who happens to be a master assassin. After a hit gone wrong, Judith must go on the run to stay ahead of another assassin working against her, and to avoid running afoul of the ruthless agency (literally called The Agency) that employs her. Obviously, Debbie gets pulled along for the ride. It's a fast, tense, and funny thriller series. You can stream Ride or Die on Prime Video.

I Will Find You

Like Max Cady in Cape Fear, the main character in I Will Find You has been imprisoned for a murder he did not commit. But unlike Max Cady, David Burroughs (Sam Worthington) doesn't set out to murder his lawyer. He was accused of killing his own son, and when he sees evidence that the boy is alive, he escapes prison to find his child. It's a modern take on The Fugitive: with the authorities on his trail, David must unravel a twisting conspiracy to clear his name and bring his child home. I Will Find You is a perfect summertime thriller. You can stream I Will Find You on Netflix.

FROM

The residents of the unnamed town at the center of FROM cannot catch a break. If it's not worms crawling around under their skin, it's the mysterious Man in Yellow stealing people's souls. Season four of this mystery-heavy show from the executive producers of Lost sees the survivors pushed to their limits as the veil between the strange town and the real world gets thinner. You can stream FROM on MGM+.

Cape Fear

Executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, Cape Fear is a 10-episode reimagining of a classic novel that has previously been adapted into two celebrated films. In this extended version, Amy Adams plays Anna Bowden, a defense attorney who unsuccessfully defended murder suspect Max Cady 17 years previously. Turns out he wasn't guilty, and Cady has had nearly two decades to plan his revenge against the woman he blames for putting him behind bars. Javier Bardem brings unsettling energy to the role of Cady, previously played by Robert Mitchum, Robert De Niro, and Sideshow Bob. If you like slow-burn suspense that gradually ratchets up tension, you'll like Cape Fear. You can stream Cape Fear on Apple TV+.

The Agency

The spy thriller returns for its second season. Michael Fassbender plays Brandon Colby (code name Martian), a former CIA field agent who now runs operations for London Station, the agency's home office in the U.K. This season, the spy action grows more intricate, as Martian works to clear the name of his lover (Jodie Turner-Smith) while also going head-to-head with a possible double agent within the Agency's own ranks. You can stream The Agency on Paramount+ With Showtime.

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After years of post-COVID uncertainty, are the movies finally back? Judging by July's box office returns, that certainly seems to be the case: Debuting in theaters within weeks of one another, The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day both have experienced record-breaking runs (the latter even claimed the largest opening weekend of all time, banking $360 million in the U.S. alone).

But if you ask me, the biggest box office success story of the year was much more unpredictable than seeing a movie from the world's most beloved director (or starring the most popular superhero) make bank: Obsession, a gnarly, R-rated horror flick produced on a budget of less than $1 million, went on to make more than $262 million in ticket sales—a true word-of-mouth phenomenon. On the other hand, with numbers like that, it's no surprise to see Obsession topping the streaming charts now that it is available to watch at home. Here are the other streaming movies that drew eyeballs last month, according to data from JustWatch.

Obsession (2026)

Arriving out of nowhere from first-time director Curry Barker, who got his start making sketch comedy videos on YouTube, Obsession debuted to higher-than-expected box office returns its opening weekend, and then just never stopped making money. It seems horror fans couldn't get enough of the story of a hapless teenager (Michael Johnston) who gets more than he bargains for when he picks up a "One Wish Willow" gag toy and expresses his heart's desire: that his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) would fall in love with him. His wish comes true, and then some—with blood-splattering results. Stream Obsession on Peacock.

Project Hail Mary (2026)

In this crowd-pleasing sci-fi, Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher who is blasted into the firmament in a last-ditch effort to save the world. Grace is the only person on Earth who might know how to protect the sun from a cosmic infection that threatens all life, but he's definitely not an astronaut and doesn't see himself as a hero either. Will he rise to the occasion and learn something about his inner strength and resilience while saving us all from death? My money is on, "yeah, probably." Project Hail Mary is streaming on Prime Video and MGM+.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)

Legendary director Gore Verbinski (The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean) is back with a satirical, gleefully maximalist science fiction comedy that takes on AI, social media addiction, VR, and the modern world itself. Sam Rockwell plays a man from the future who shows up in an LA diner demanding that customers help him save the future from an artificial intelligence that is about to be born. Being a time traveler, Rockwell has tried this many times before and has always failed, but this time, it's going to be different—or everyone is going to die again. Part Terminator, part Black Mirror, Don't Die is a throw-everything-at-the-wall movie that goes so far over the top, you'll be forced to submit to its weird logic and style out of sheer exhaustion. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is streaming on Hulu, or you can rent it from Prime Video.

The Sheep Detectives (2026)

A family movie with enough darkness to balance out all the cute sheep, The Sheep Detectives tells the tale of an English farmer played by Hugh Jackman who reads mysteries to his flock of sheep every night. When he's found dead, the authorities attribute it to natural causes, but his sheep know better, and they set out to find the culprit using what they've learned from all those whodunnits. If you like the Babe movies, you'll like The Sheep Detectives, and if you think you're too cynical to get into a movie like this, you're probably wrong: It is charming and fun. The Sheep Detectives is streaming on Prime Video.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026)

A sleeper hit from 2019, Ready or Not followed a woman (Samara Weaving) who went to meet her fiancé's parents and wound up being hunted by them—their next target in a game of demonic ritual sacrifice dating back generations. The unlikely sequel picks up mere minutes after the first movie ended, with the other ultra-rich, ultra-powerful families in thrall to the same evil turning up to kick off round two. With a killer cast (including Sarah Michelle-Gellar, Elijah Wood, and director David Cronenberg) and a darkly hilarious skewer-the-rich vibe, it's bloody good fun. You can stream Ready or Not 2 on Hulu.

Troy (2004)

Why is a 22-year-old, vaguely remembered Brad Pitt historical action flick suddenly appearing on the streaming charts? It makes sense when you consider that Troy essentially serves as a prequel to 2026's The Odyssey. This flashy but shallow epic from director Wolfgang Petersen stars Pitt as the legendary warrior Achilles, who sets sail in the service of his king, Agamemnon (Brian Cox), to lay siege against the title city to recover Helen (Diane Kruger), wife of the Spartan King Menaelus (Agamemnon's brother), from her "captors," Hector and Paris, young princes of Troy. If you've studied your myths (or if you've seen Christopher Nolan's new film), you know how it all turns out (it involves a horse). You can stream Troy on Peacock.

Masters of the Universe (2026)

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with He-Man—me and all of the other boys born between 1975 and 1982. I dreamed of seeing the musclebound hero on the big screen, but I was merely nonplussed by the 1987 Dolph Lundgren-starring adaptation, which looked nothing like the toys and cartoons. Turns out I just needed to wait 40 years, because the 2026 version, from Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee director Travis Knight, is, if anything, too faithful to the campier aspects of the franchise, with a tone that walks the line between serious action epic and Barbie-style sendup. As a result (or perhaps just because 40 years is a really long time to expect people to care about a Hercules knock-off), the movie bombed at the box office—but perhaps it will find its audience of now-middle-aged men on streaming. You can watch Masters of the Universe on Prime Video.

The Long Walk (2025)

This chilling adaptation of one of Stephen King's earliest novels feels ripped from the capitalist hellscape of 2026: In an alternate 1970s U.S., a fascist government has taken over and, as a means of control, stages an annual "contest" known as The Walk, wherein a group of 50 boys is forced to compete in a non-stop, cross-country walking contest. The winner gets one wish granted, while the losers all get a bullet in the head. Two contestants (played by Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson) are competing for their lives, closely watched by the ruthless Major (played by Mark Hamill in full villain mode). Stream The Long Walk on HBO Max.

Pressure (2026)

If you haven't heard of Pressure, ask your dad: This WWII flick, starring a post-Oscar Brendan Fraser as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, is prime Dad Movie material. It focuses on the lead-up to the Normandy invasion and is all about Eisenhower working closely with meteorologist (no, really) James Stagg (Andrew Scott) to determine if the conditions will be right to launch their planned invasion. Though it got good reviews, this one underperformed in theaters, but its modest charms seem right at home on streaming. You can stream Pressure on Peacock.

Independence Day (1996)

It's no mystery why this oversized alien invasion blockbuster hit the streaming charts in July. Even 30 years later, everyone likes to spend their July 4th watching Will Smith throw around one-liners as stuff blows up real good all around him (all capped off with a rousing speech from President Bill Pullman). You can stream Independence Day on Hulu.

De Britse prinses Eugenie en haar partner Jack Brooksbank zijn maandag ouders geworden van hun derde kind. Het stel maakte bekend dat hun dochter in Portugal is geboren.

George R.R. Martin heeft een moeilijk jaar achter de rug. De afgelopen periode heeft hij last gehad van "verdriet en depressiviteit", schrijft de Game of Thrones-schrijver op zijn persoonlijke blog. "Er is zo veel gebeurd. Het is overweldigend."

De Franse topchef Jean Imbert is gearresteerd op verdenking van huiselijk geweld tegen meerdere partners. De advocaten van de bekende chef-kok laten aan Franse media weten dat hij sinds maandagochtend wordt ondervraagd op het politiebureau.

Danique Ploeger (24) en Daniël Zuiddam (38) hebben hun eerste dochter mogen verwelkomen. Het stel, dat elkaar leerdekennen tijdens het televisieprogramma B&B Vol liefde, heeft haar de naam Novie gegeven.

Wietze de Jager en Mattie Valk hebben af en toe weer contact. Het voormalige succesvolle radioduo ging in 2017 uit elkaar na een publieke ruzie over De Jagers overstap naar Sky Radio.

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Gilmore Girls is pure comfort viewing. We all wish our lives were filled with more sparkling, quick-witted dialogue spiced with deep pop culture references, and that we lived in a warm, quirky place like Stars Hollow—and that’s why it’s one of those shows that folks binge over and over again. It’s like getting together with some old friends—it never gets old. But true fans know that to keep up with the Gilmores, you have to absorb a lot of pop culture. If you’ve already watched the shows that fans of Gilmore Girls will love, it’s time to hop over to the movies that Rory and Lorelai would approve for movie night.

Why fans of Gilmore Girls should watch Mermaids

Mermaids is set in the 1960s, but the similarities with Gilmore Girls are strong. Winona Ryder plays Charlotte, a 15-year-old whose mother, Rachel (Cher), has a habit of moving to a new town every time she breaks up with a boyfriend. Adding to Charlotte’s growing sense of disruption is the fact that Rachel, who had Charlotte when she was just 16 herself, acts like her friend instead of her mother. When Rachel moves with Charlotte and her younger sister, Kate (Christina Ricci), to the small town of Eastport, Massachusetts, things begin to change.

If you loved the dynamic between Rory and Lorelai on Gilmore Girls, you’ll love Charlotte and Rachel. The show is pitched a little higher on the drama scale, but the funny, sharp dialogue between the women and the deep love between them is very Gilmore-esque. Like Rory, Charlotte is precocious and smart, though she’s a bit more prone to fantasy; despite being Jewish, she becomes obsessed with Catholicism, which causes her a lot of distress when she crushes on the local convent’s caretaker, Joe. And like Lorelai, Rachel is a strong woman who finds love in a small town without sacrificing her sense of self and independence. Their comic timing is flawless in this film.

That small-town, East Coast vibe in Eastport will also appeal to fans of the show. Eastport is depicted as a vibrant, tight-knit place where the locals are kind and weird in the best ways. When Rachel meets Lou (Bob Hoskins), the local shoe salesman, she resists falling in love for fear of losing her independence, but their blooming relationship is sweet and satisfying, and the town is populated by memorable characters just like Stars Hollow.

If you’re looking for banter, romance, and a town you wish you lived in just like Gilmore Girls, go watch Mermaids.

Stream Mermaids on Fubo or rent it on Prime Video.

More movies for fans of Gilmore Girls

Mermaids is terrific, but it’s not quite two hours long—so you’re going to need to add more movies to your list. Here are a few more that Gilmore Girls fans will love.

His Girl Friday (1940)

One of the many films directly name-checked in Gilmore Girls, His Girl Friday is way ahead of its time and the perfect match. The story, about a newspaper editor (Cary Grant) using a variety of shady (and, from a modern POV, kind of sketchy) tricks to win back the woman who is both his best reporter and his ex-wife (Rosalind Russell), is surprisingly gender-blind for a film released in 1940. And the dialogue—racking up an astounding 240 words per minute, on average—is so fast, so sharp, and so overlapping you’ll have to watch it three times to catch every joke and reference. If you come back to Gilmore Girls for the banter, you will love this movie.

Stream His Girl Friday on Fubo or Kanopy or rent it on Prime Video.

Juno (2007)

Another movie known for its sharp, rapid-delivery dialogue, Juno is also the perfect choice for Gilmore fans because of its main character, Juno MacGuff (Elliot Page). Sixteen years old and finding herself surprisingly pregnant, Juno navigates the emotional and social fallout with a sharp tongue and a bright mind that’s very much how you might imagine Rory dealing with a teen pregnancy. Juno agrees to let a childless couple (played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) adopt her baby, but as she grows closer to the husband, the film digs into complex relationship dynamics that fans of the show will appreciate.

Rent Juno on Prime Video.

Booksmart (2019)

One of the great things about Gilmore Girls is that it’s a show that celebrates intelligence and knowing things. The Gilmores and the people they surround themselves with are smart, and they enjoy being smart. So do Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) in Booksmart: They’ve skipped so many parties and hangouts in order to excel at school and get into Ivy League schools, and their quick, hilarious dialogue reflects how smart they are. When they learn that their hard-partying, much lazier classmates also got into great schools, they suffer what can only be termed a mild existential crisis, with hilarious results.

Rent Booksmart on Apple TV.

Before Sunset (2004)

The Gilmores often display an enviable dynamic: relaxed, affectionate, and challenging. Rory and Lorelai like to debate, to converse, to dig into their assumptions and have real conversations—the kind we all wish we were having on the regular. If you ever wished some of those conversations in Gilmore Girls would go on for, oh, a few hours, check out Before Sunset—it’s almost all conversation. It’s the sequel to Before Sunrise (the trilogy—itself basically one enormous conversation—ends with Before Midnight), but the second film is a closer match to the deep relationship between Rory and Loralei that makes the show special. The story sees author Jesse (Ethan Hawke) reunited with Céline (Julie Delpy), once again spending a day together in Paris nine years after a 24-hour conversation changed their lives, chatting in a way few people ever get to.

Stream Before Sunset on The Roku Channel or rent it on Prime Video.

Waitress (2007)

Quirky small town vibes, a loving found family, and an unplanned pregnancy—Waitress is what Rory or Lorelai’s life might have been like with some different choices or simple bad luck. Jenna Hunterson (Keri Russell) is a small-town waitress trapped in a miserable marriage; her plans to save up money and flee are complicated when she finds herself unexpectedly knocked up. She begins an affair with her new obstetrician (Nathan Fillion, so: understandable) and learns that she has more friends—and better friends—than she imagined.

Rent Waitress on Prime Video.

The newest entry in the franchise took a more grounded approach, a departure for a spectacle-focused genre that is teetering at the box office.

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Stuart Fails to Save the Universe might be the most surprising series on TV right now. Another spinoff from the wildly successful The Big Bang Theory, the show’s focus on bit players from the original series and an enthusiastic embrace of its gonzo multiverse plot shaped a fun, fast-paced, and inventive sitcom that both scratches the nostalgic itch for more of that universe and offers something completely fresh and new in it. If you’re looking for more sci-fi hijinx and humor that embraces the multiverse with wit, imagination, and a robust supply of heart (and you’ve already burned through the shows that offer a similar vibe), then there’s precisely one movie you should watch immediately: Everything Everywhere All at Once.

After Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, watch Everything Everywhere All at Once

Written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka the Daniels), Everything Everywhere All at Once is the story of Evelyn Quan Wang (Michelle Yeoh), an unhappy, middle-aged immigrant from China who runs a failing laundromat and is struggling in every aspect of her life, from her relationships with her father (James Hong), husband (Ke Huy Quan), and daughter (Stephanie Hsu) to her upcoming audit with the IRS. At her IRS interview, her body is suddenly controlled and she finds herself face to face with an alternate version of her husband, Waymond, who informs her that there are multiple universes and versions of her, and that she must access the skills and life experience of those alternate versions in order to save the multiverse from destruction by Jobu Tupaki—an alternate version of her daughter, Joy.

If you love the wild ride that Stuart Fails to Save the Universe offers as the gang regularly slides into a new alternate world, Everything Everywhere All at Once is the perfect match. As Evelyn struggles to comprehend the nature of her existence in a multiverse and figure out how to survive the bizarre and mind-blowing attacks Jobu Tupaki sends her way, we are treated to a dizzying range of insane universes. We see Evelyn as a martial arts movie star (not unlike Yeoh in real life), a scientist, a teppanyaki chef, a woman with hot dogs for fingers (in a universe where everyone has hot dogs for fingers) and, in one of the most moving moments, as a literal rock.

If you’re digging the emotional core of the show as Stuart seeks a universe where he is worthy and hasn’t ruined everything, the core premise of Everything will hit you right in the feels. Evelyn has been chosen because she’s the worst version of herself—the version that has consistently failed in everything she’s tried, and thus the version with the most stored potential. Her emotional journey from nihilism and anger to love and acceptance as she learns to fight for what she loves is powerfully moving. Like the show, the movie leverages the character-building aspects of a multiverse, letting us see how a normal, regular person with normal, regular problems might face a terrifyingly abnormal challenge.

Plus, the movie is just fun. How can you watch a scene where mild-mannered Waymond Wang defeats a gang of security guards using multiverse-downloaded fannypack skills and not want to watch the rest of the movie?

Stream Everything Everywhere All at Once on Hulu, or rent it on Prime Video.

More movies to watch after Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

The multiverse may be infinite, but movies about them aren’t. If you’ve watched Everything Everywhere All at Once and need more fun sci-fi stories, here are a few more movies that catch that Stuart vibe.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Douglas Adams’ classic story of an ordinary guy named Arthur Dent who is rescued by his friend (and secret alien) Ford Prefect when Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass isn’t a multiverse story per se, but it has similar elements. That’s thanks to the Infinite Improbability Drive, which allows for faster-than-light travel by passing through every point in every possible universe simultaneously, resulting in some really, really weird stuff (the hilariously inconsistent timeline resulting from the many variations of the story also contributes a sense of multiversity craziness). It’s an absurdist’s dream, riffing on every conceivable sci-fi trope and delivering a surprisingly sweet story of a man struggling with his sense of unimportance in an increasingly confusing existence.

Rent The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on Prime Video.

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

You want a bit more edge to your multiverse humor? Check out Deadpool & Wolverine, in which everyone’s favorite merc with a mouth (Ryan Reynolds) has to skip through various universes to find a replacement Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), who famously and nobly died at the end of Logan in 2017, for, er, reasons. It’s absolutely riddled with hilarious bits, fourth-wall breaks, and hyperviolence—but there’s a gooey emotional core to it, as well.

Stream Deadpool & Wolverine on Disney Plus, or rent it on Prime Video.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

If Everything Everywhere All at Once is a bit too staid and sedate for your tastes, check out this 1984 fever dream of a sci-fi movie. When rock star, scientist, and surgeon Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller) tests a device that allows him to pass through matter, he briefly engages with the 8^th dimension—and unwittingly attracts the attention of aliens who wish to use his technology to free their brethren trapped there, putting the existence of humanity at risk. It’s one of the weirdest vibes ever captured on film, but it’s also hilarious and one of the most unique films you’ll ever watch.

Stream The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension on The Roku Channel, or rent it on Prime Video.

John Dies at the End (2013)

If you love the unexpected twists that Stuart Fails to Save the Universe serves up as he and his friends travel through alternate universes, strap in for John Dies at the End. To say the story is complex would an understatement—it slides between the past, present, and future of various dimensions at a rapid clip—but it kicks off when a man named David (Chase Williamson) is contacted by his recently dead friend, Rob, who tells him about a drug called Soy Sauce that lets folks remember the future and allows entities to creep from one universe into another—and they’re infiltrating David’s universe. It’s wild and often really funny, so if it’s extra you’re looking for, look no further.

Stream John Dies at the End on The Roku Channel, or rent it on Prime Video.

Galaxy Quest (1999)

If you want to lean a bit more into plain old funny stuff, this modern classic is perfect. There’s no multiverse here, but there is a lot of affectionate humor aimed squarely at sci-fi tropes (especially the Star Trek universe and its, er, passionate fans). Galaxy Quest was a Trek-like TV series that aliens called Thermians believe was a documentary. When their civilization is threatened by a villain named Sarris, they kidnap the cast (including Tim Allen, Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, and Sam Rockwell) of the TV series to help them defeat Sarris, and, yes, hilarity ensues. But also a lot of heart and character development, if that’s your bag.

Stream Galaxy Quest on Kanopy, or rent it on Prime Video.

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No one dishes out shocking twists and emotionally powerful moments like Harlan Coben, and his partnership with Netflix just keeps delivering stories you can’t help but devour in one sitting. I Will Find You, starring Sam Worthington and Britt Lower, is no exception: The story of a father risking everything to prove he didn’t commit an unspeakable crime while searching for the son he thought lost forever is the sort of show you hop online immediately after the credits roll to see what people are saying. If you’ve already watched the series that give the same vibe and want more innocent people trying to get their lives back, unpredictable plot swerves, and emotionally charged stories of hard-won justice, look no further than 1993’s The Fugitive.

Why you should watch "The Fugitive" after "I Will Find You"

The Fugitive was a massive hit in 1993. Based on a 1960s television series (also called The Fugitive) that was itself a national phenomenon, it’s the story of Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford), who is convicted of the brutal murder of his wife, Helen (Sela Ward), despite his claims of witnessing a one-armed man committing the crime. When the bus transporting him to prison crashes, Kimble escapes and launches a desperate campaign to prove his innocence, identify the murderer, and evade the dogged pursuit of U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) and his team.

The Fugitive scratches the precise innocent-man-on-the-run itch as I Will Find You, following Kimble as he uses his medical training and survival instincts to avoid capture while taking enormous risks. He poses as a janitor at a local hospital in order to conduct research on men with prosthetic arms and is almost caught several times by the smart and experienced Gerard (who famously tells Kimble that he doesn’t care when Kimble protests his innocence).

While the film doesn’t have the bonkers twists that Harlan Coben came up with for I Will Find You, there are plenty of unpredictable plot swerves as Kimble unravels a conspiracy that hits closer to home than he expects. Just like the Netflix series, the villain has violently self-serving motives, and the true story of what happened is a surprising reveal. And if your favorite part of I Will Find You was the interaction between father-daughter FBI agents Max Williams (Chi McBride) and Sarah Greer (Logan Browning) as they pursue David, you’ll absolutely love Sam Gerard and his team as they bicker, joke, and follow the trail with absolute dedication to their jobs.

Bottom line: The Fugitive is a big-budget, slightly less shocking Harrison Ford blockbuster that every fan of I Will Find You will love. You can rent The Fugitive on Prime Video.

More movies

Still craving twisty thrillers about innocent folks searching desperately for the truth? Here are a few more brilliant movies to check out.

Primal Fear (1996)

You want more absolutely mind-blowing twists? Primal Fear has one of the most brilliant swerves in film history. Edward Norton’s film debut sees him playing Aaron Luke Stampler, a stuttering, shy altar boy accused of viciously murdering the beloved Archbishop Rushman. Vain, publicity-seeking attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere) takes Aaron’s case, believing the weak, forgetful Stampler incapable of such atrocities—but the twisty story builds to one of the all-time great reveals, a scene that made Norton a star overnight. Stream Primal Fear on Fubo or Kanopy, or rent it on Prime Video.

Gone Girl (2014)

Was it the complexity of the setup that hooked you in I Will Find You? Gone Girl takes that to the next level. Based on Gillian Flynn’s smash novel, the story begins when Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) comes home to find his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), is missing. The clues at the scene don’t look great for Nick, and as the sordid truth of his marriage emerges, things look worse—but nothing is exactly what it seems in this taut, clever mystery. If you were fascinated by the effort put into painting David as a heartless killer, you should know that Gone Girl takes that to the next level. Rent Gone Girl on Prime Video.

The Next Three Days (2010)

There’s something absolutely gripping about a story focused on an innocent person’s life ruined by a false accusation. The Next Three Days is a tense thrill ride based on that premise: John and Lara Brennan (Russel Crowe and Elizabeth Banks) are happily married with a young son. When Lara’s boss is murdered after Lara had an ugly, public confrontation with him, she’s convicted of his murder. As time passes and John can see her giving up all hope, he launches a desperate plot to break her out of prison and reclaim their lives. If you rooted for David to prove his innocence, you’ll root for John and Lara in the same way. Rent The Next Three Days on Prime Video.

Double Jeopardy (1999)

Part of the thrill of I Will Find You is the slow, twisty route to justice—to finding the truth and punishing the truly guilty. That’s where Double Jeopardy lives. Ashley Judd stars as Elizabeth Parsons, who is convicted of murdering her husband, Nick (Bruce Greenwood), after she’s found with a bloody knife on their boat, his body presumably swept into the ocean. She loses custody of their son and despairs—but she eventually discovers that Nick faked his death and framed her for the murder. Her life becomes consumed with the need to reclaim her son and—when she realizes she cannot be charged with the same murder twice—to get a measure of revenge. Stream Double Jeopardy on Kanopy or rent it on Prime Video.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

One of the all-time classics in the “wronged person serving time” genre, The Shawshank Redemption is simultaneously an inspiring story of friendship, a stirring tale of surviving in the face of horrific loss and injustice, and one of the greatest twisty stories of all time. Its steady pacing and careful characterization let you really get to know the wrongly convicted man at its core, and the ending lets you appreciate how resolute and determined he was while experiencing the worst horrors a human can imagine. Rent The Shawshank Redemption on Prime Video.

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House of the Dragon is getting so good, I'm flirting with calling it a more satisfying watch than Game of Thrones. After two seasons of thrilling political maneuvering, betrayals, and the occasional dragonfire massacre, the story has really clicked into place, and I've found myself deeply invested in the travails of the battling Targaryen dynasties, even though I technically know how everything turns out. (It is a prequel, after all.)

If each new episode leaves you craving more sharp writing and spectacular dragon battles, you’ve got a lot of other series to keep you fed going forward. But if you want a more cinematic experience that offers similar pleasures, there’s one obvious choice: Reign of Fire, the 2002 sci-fantasy epic starring two obscure actors named Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale.

It's all about those dragon battles

Reign of Fire is set in a world where a tunneling project in modern-day London accidentally awakens hibernating dragons—real, fire-breathing, flying lizards just like the ones in fantasy novels. The dragons quickly breed and decimate the world’s militaries, and in the chaotic aftermath, nuclear weapons are unleashed, leaving the human race teetering on the edge of extinction—and the dragons starving. When the few surviving humans realize that the dragons have a huge weakness that could be exploited to end their dominance, a desperate plan is hatched to save humanity.

While that plot doesn't sound similar to the high fantasy trappings of House of the Dragon, there's an obvious throughline: It's the dragon warfare, silly. House of the Dragon is filled with absorbing characters (team Daemon all day) and fascinating, twisty plots as the Targaryen family rips itself apart in a struggle for the Iron Throne, but if you say you’re not here for the dragon fights, you’re lying. Reign of Fire has dragon fights. Lots of dragon fights. Dragon fights that involve a tank and a helicopter. The effects hold up more than 20 years after the film’s release, too.

But the film isn’t just dragon fights—there’s a proper story too. At a castle in England, a man who witnessed the initial dragon awakening, Quinn (Christian Bale), is leading a rag-tag group of desperate folks trying to survive until the dragons die off from lack of food. Things are grim, and Quinn struggles to hold his community together. When a group of Americans called the Kentucky Irregulars, led by Denton Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey, looking badass with a shaved head and crazy eyes), arrives with a tank and a functioning helicopter, Quinn can’t stop some of his people from signing up to help them fight dragons.

Not only do McConaughey and Bale lay down terrific performances as desperate men with opposing visions of victory, the people following them are also portrayed as a complex group with various dynamics. People do unexpected things, turning what could have been a straightforward action film into an absorbing sci-fi story. If you enjoy the twists and turns of House of the Dragon, you’ll find a lot to love in Reign of Fire, and you can rent it on Prime Video.

More movies to satisfy House of the Dragon fans

Reign of Fire is an hour and forty minutes of dragony goodness, but if it leaves you wanting more, there are a few more movies you can check out—including Christopher Nolan’s currently-in-theaters epic The Odyssey, which offers a universe of monsters, epic battles, and vengeful gods that looks like a perfect fit for fans of House of the Dragon. Here are a few other movies you can watch right now on your screen of choice:

Valhalla Rising (2009)

In one sense, Valhalla Rising couldn’t be more different from House of the Dragon. Where the show is often loud and action-packed, Valhalla Rising can be disturbingly still and quiet—on purpose. Set in 12th-century Scotland, Mads Mikkelsen plays an unnamed slave with one eye who possesses incredible strength. Forced to fight other slaves to the death, One-Eye sees visions that help him escape, launching him on a violent journey to his destiny. It’s a moody, bloody story that shares a sense of Hell on Earth with the show, depicting beautiful, brutal landscapes where death is always lurking. Stream Valhalla Rising on Kanopy.

Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

If you want more epic battles and doomed autocrats desperately trying to hang onto power (and their lives), Kingdom of Heaven is a great choice. Set during the Crusades era in the 12^th century, the film follows a newly-knighted noble, Balian (Orlando Bloom), who travels to the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in search of salvation. Instead, he finds a delicate, complicated political situation as the ailing Leper King, Baldwin IV, struggles to maintain a fragile peace for his unstable kingdom. If you want more of the Blacks/Greens political skulduggery and more huge battles between armies, stream this (sorry, no dragons though). Rent Kingdom of Heaven on Prime Video.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Want more dragons? J.R.R. Tolkien’s Smaug is one of the most entertaining and terrifying dragons ever conceived—and when he’s voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, it’s a pure delight. Yes, Smaug the dragon talks, and isn’t a vicious aerial killing machine like Vhagar, but his smoothly malevolent evil permeates the film with a sense of danger and dread. Plus, Middle-earth is the heavyweight of epic fantasy lore and world-building, so if the deep history and complexity of Westeros is what you crave, any of Peter Jackson’s films set in Tolkien’s universe are a great choice. Rent The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on Prime Video.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Lawrence of Arabia is a clear visual influence on House of the Dragon, and the actors have namechecked David Lean’s 1962 epic as inspiration for their performances. Based on the true story of T. E. Lawrence and adapted from his book Seven Pillars of Wisdom, the film depicts the brilliant life and career of Lawrence, who was instrumental in organizing the Arab tribes against the Ottoman Empire in World War I. It’s as widescreen an epic as old Hollywood ever made, and Peter O’Toole makes Lawrence into the conflicted antihero of Daemon Targaryen’s dreams. Stream Lawrence of Arabia on Philo or rent it on Prime Video.

The King (2019)

If you love the politics and strategy on display in House of the Dragon (without sacrificing the bloody battles), and like the realistic, mud- and blood-splattered depiction of medieval life in the show, check out The King. Loosely adapted from William Shakespeare’s plays, a young Timothée Chalamet portrays King Henry V as he rises from a lazy prince to one of the most brilliant warrior kings in English history—the king who claimed the crown of France, if only for a moment. It’s a viscerally exciting film, and one of its great pleasures is the battle of wills and tactics (and insults) between Henry and the heir to the French throne, Louis, Duke of Guyenne (Robert Pattinson). Stream The King on Netflix.

The Out-of-Touch Adults' Guide is your roadmap to what the younger people are up to. This week, discussions of what "quiet on the creek" means, why kids are calling each other "Tylenol babies," and what "corny on the bob, off the bob" means take us into some surprisingly choppy water. Because just like all of us, young people are wrestling with cultural appropriation, questionable health advisories, and issues of race and identity. But they're doing it with memes.

What does "quiet on the creek" mean?

Kids are exhorting one another to be "quiet on the creek" this week, usually in a stage whisper. The phrase's definition should be familiar to any angler: You have to be quiet on the creek so you don't scare the fish away. Extend that a bit and you have a colorful way of saying "keep it on the down low" or "be cool."

But there's a second more more charged meaning of "quiet on the creek." When it originally took off online, clueless people asked "what does it mean?" and the response from many was to not explain it, to gatekeep the definition, first because it was regarded as AAVE and people are understandably tired of AAVE being co-opted, but also because when slang is explained, the fizz disappears and you end up with the verbal equivalent of flat champagne.

Among those exhorting people to not talk about quiet on the creek is the rapper who popularized the phrase, Saucy Santana. Saucy posted this video exhorting others to be more quiet on the creek about quiet on the creek:

All respect to Santana, but it's not hard to suss out the definition of "quiet on the creek" if your dad ever took you fishing. I understand the impulse to protect slang from being watered down, but the internet is relentless: Once a phrase goes viral, no matter where it came from, the original context is stripped away, and people are going to say what they say, regardless of the politics behind it. Anyway, you should check out Santana's song and support their career because they are good at this shizz.

Controversy aside, the phrase has become popular enough that it's being used in a ton of online videos of people in movies and TV being quiet on the creek, like this:

and this:

What's up with the controversial "that's just the way it is" videos?

Since we're on the subject of over-exposure watering down Black people's slang and culture online, let's talk about the strange case of "That's Just the Way It Is." Early in the week, the hashtag thatsjustthewayitis was combined with the chorus of Tupac's "Changes" and used to comment on racism in videos like these:

Soon after "that's just the way it is" took off, people predicted how it would be coopted, posting videos like these that are basically parodies of how white people would make the meme about them, substituting legit concerns for mistaken Starbucks orders and whatnot:

Depressingly, this kind of co-optation happens all the time, but in this case, I'm having trouble finding many actual examples of videos of the phrase/meme being co-opted by white people. There are a few out there, but they seem to be getting way fewer views than the commentary on them.

I have no doubt this phrase would have been more widely misunderstood and misused as it became more popular, but there doesn't seem to have been enough time. So the "that's just the way it is" meme has become about the predictable adoption of Black culture, while skipping "the middleman" of the actual co-opting, almost like a preemptive defense against cultural gentrification. And that's without even mentioning that Tupac's song is built around the chorus to Bruce Hornsby's "The Way it is," which is one of whitest songs ever.

What is a "Tylenol baby"?

In September 2025, President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a press conference announcing a scientifically dubious link between the use of acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) by pregnant women and autism. Kids immediately weaponized "Tylenol baby" and have used it ever since to roast their pals.

Middle schoolers tend to care more about finding new ways to insult each other than they do about FDA research, so the phrase generally isn't meant to suggest anyone actually has autism. It's a way for people who don't know any better (yet, hopefully) to use the societal stigma of autism to say, "you're a dope" or "you're acting foolish."

Viral video of the week: Corny on the Bob

The final slang phrase in this week's dive into youth and race relations is "corny on the bob," it means "corn on the cob," and has not been co-opted or stolen from AAVE, nor does it insult anyone with a disability. Instead, it's a catchphrase of Patty Miller, an unexpected online star whose cooking and eating videos regularly rack up millions of views based on her unique personal presentation and her colorful way of pronouncing words. In this video, she shows off the "liver and engines" she made and her "corny on the bob, off the bob."

Look, I wouldn't eat that slop with your mouth, but that doesn't mean I don't have a place in my heart for the internet's new meemaw.

Amber Kortzorg en haar partner Sven verwachten in november een zoon. Dat deelt de BNNVARA-presentatrice maandag in een bericht op Instagram. Het jongetje is het eerste kind voor Kortzorg.

Jandino Asporaat en zijn vrouw Shirley zijn uit elkaar. De twee laten via Instagram weten dat er na zo'n dertien jaar een einde is gekomen aan hun huwelijk. Ze woonden al ruim een jaar niet meer samen.

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Cape Fear is one of those stories with a premise so sturdy and reliable, it can be reinvented and reinterpreted endlessly. The original 1957 novel (titled The Executioners) remains a pulse-pounding thriller, and the two film adaptations (from 1962 and starring Robert Mitchum, and the Martin Scorsese/Robert De Niro version from 1991) are wildly different in tone and approach but equally effective.

Add to that list Apple TV’s brand-new take on the material, which brings a neon-lit sense of chaos and a modern edge of digital vulnerability to the fore. If you've binged the available episodes and have already burned through all of our suggested streamalikes, it’s time to broaden the search to books, movies, games, and podcasts that will deliver the same thrills.

The best books like Cape Fear

Cape Fear’s roots are in the literary world, and writers have been perfecting the art of terrifying antagonists ruining people’s lives for decades now. You want more Max Cadys in your life? Check out these books.

Cape Fear, by John D. MacDonald

Start with the original. The details are different—Sam Bowden helped put Max Cady into military prison during World War II, for example. But MacDonald’s brilliantly simple premise is the key: Bowden, a buttoned-up member of society in good standing, slowly realizes that the cunning Cady can’t be stopped via the system. For all his connections, education, and moral code, if he’s going to protect his family from a madman, he’ll have to do things he never thought himself capable of. That friction is dynamite, and the novel is still a crackling read.

The Killer Inside Me, by Jim Thompson

If you found Max Cady to be the sort of terrifying weirdo you can’t look away from, you will love Thompson’s deep dive into the mind of a sociopath. Lou Ford is a small-town deputy who presents himself as a boring, basic guy. But beneath that facade of weaponized normalcy, he’s a twisted, violent man who takes delight in hurting and manipulating people. It’s a dark, unrelenting story that gives strong Max Cady vibes.

Strangers on a Train, by Patricia Highsmith

One key aspect of every version of Cape Fear is the way the story leverages the suspicion that civilized society can’t really protect us from an entity determined to ruin our lives. Highsmith’s novel plays on that same energy: When unhappily married Guy Haines meets wealthy Charles Bruno and admits his unhappy marriage, Bruno suggests they “swap” murders—Guy kills Bruno’s father, Bruno kills Guy’s wife. Since they are perfect strangers with no connection to each other, the police will be unable to solve the apparently motiveless murders. Guy doesn’t take the conversation seriously—but Bruno absolutely does, and is soon a malevolent force in Guy’s life.

Dead Calm, by Charles Williams

The fuel that powers Cape Fear is a sense of powerlessness against someone who has invaded your private space. Williams’ 1963 novel is driven by that same energy. John and Rae are on their small yacht for their honeymoon when they rescue a young man, Hughie, from a lifeboat. Hughie claims that the crew of his boat died from food poisoning, but inconsistencies in his story and oddities in his behavior make John suspicious, leading to a deadly game of cat-and-mouse and some gruesome discoveries, as Hughie emerges as a ticking time bomb that threatens everything and everyone.

The Last Word, by Taylor Adams

Adams’ 2023 novel is about that moment when we invite chaos into our lives. Emma Carpenter retreats to a remote beach house to deal with past trauma, and spends her time reading and reviewing horror books. Her distant neighbor—she needs a telescope to communicate with him—suggests a book for her to read, but when Emma gives it a one-star review, the author launches a campaign of terror against her that soon takes terrifyingly physical form. Just like Cady, Emma’s tormentor is smart, believes they’re untouchable, and is soon fixated on her to the exclusion of everything else.

The best movies like Cape Fear

If you love the way Cape Fear visualizes tension, brutality, and terror, there are similar movies worth watching. Of course, you should definitely check out the 1962 and 1991 versions to see variations on Cady’s character and the evolution of how the family is presented (stable and happy in 1962, ominously dysfunctional in 1991), but then check out these alternative thrillers that have a similar feel.

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

If you want more of that chaotic evil, Max Cady vibe, The Night of the Hunter is the ticket. Robert Mitchum gives a chilling performance as a serial killer who masquerades as a preacher. When he learns that his cellmate in prison has hidden a fortune in stolen money on his property, he makes it his business to get the loot by any means necessary—through charm, deception, or brutal violence. It’s a taut story of a sociopath intent on destroying a family that fans of the show will love. Stream The Night of the Hunter on Tubi or rent it on Fandango.

Pacific Heights (1990)

One reason Cape Fear is so successful is the way it outlines how easy it is for an unscrupulous, smart adversary to destroy your life by pitting the system against you. This overlooked 1990 thriller stars Michael Keaton as a con man and sociopath going under the name Carter Hayes who bluffs his way into renting an apartment in the San Francisco townhouse owned by Drake Goodman (Matthew Modine) and Patty Palmer (Melanie Griffith). Drake and Patty need the promised rent for financial survival, but Carter not only never pays, he begins systematically destroying the apartment. When they try to evict him, he uses legal means with a dose of manipulation to thwart their efforts while secretly taking over their lives. Stream Pacific Heights on Netflix or rent it on Apple TV.

Straw Dogs (1971 / 2011)

Straw Dogs trades in the same fear of violent people targeting us in supposedly safe spaces as Cape Fear. While you should definitely try to track down Sam Peckinpah’s 1971 version, it’s tough to find on streaming these days, so you’ll have to make do with the 2011 remake of this tense story of small-town violence and home invasion. David, a mild-mannered man (Dustin Hoffman in the 1971 film, James Marsden in the remake) and his wife, Amy (Susan George/Kate Bosworth) move back to her hometown. Her ex-boyfriend and his buddies resent David’s presence, and begin a campaign of intimidation against him that slowly boils up to overt, terrifying violence—forcing David to discover the violent nature within himself. Stream Straw Dogs on The Roku Channel or rent it on Prime Video.

The Hitcher (1986)

Cape Fear pivots off the idea that you can never be truly safe from someone who means you harm. The Hitcher swims in those same waters. Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) takes a gig driving a car cross-country and makes the mistake of picking up a hitchhiker, John (Rutger Hauer). John quickly reveals himself to be a serial killer who has chosen Jim as his next victim. Jim escapes, but later spots John riding in a car with a young family, kicking off a deadly game of cat and mouse as John frames Jim for his crimes and forces him to violent ends to survive. Stream The Hitcher on Cinemax or watch it on YouTube.

The Last Seduction (1994)

Not all sociopaths capable of destroying normal people’s lives are big dudes with tattoos. In The Last Seduction, the sociopath in question is Bridget (Linda Fiorentino), who betrays her drug-dealing husband (Bill Pullman), absconding with $700,000 and leaving him at the mercy of gangsters who want their money. She travels to a podunk town near Buffalo and targets a nice but not-so-smart guy named Mike (Peter Berg), manipulating him as she launches criminal schemes. Bridget’s cool, murderous genius is a match for Max Cady in terms of vicious determination, and fans of the show will love her character. Stream The Last Seduction on Hoopla or rent it on Prime Video.

The best video games like Cape Fear

There’s a visceral thrill to a story like Cape Fear. Whether it’s the fantasy of taking revenge on your enemies or the lure of the freedom to act conferred by desperation, video games offer a way to actually experience a thriller like this from inside the story. Here are some of the best matches for fans of the show.

Fears to Fathom

This horror game uses an anthology structure, with each episode a standalone story (submitted by players). The first episode, Home Alone, is available for free on Steam, and is the best match for Cape Fear fans, letting you play as a teenager stalked by an ominous intruder in his own home while his parents are away, but the entire franchise captures the terrifying experience of being targeted by someone who appears to be in complete control of the situation and intent on doing you harm.

Platforms: Steam, iOS

Amnesia: The Bunker

In terms of setting and genre, Amnesia: The Bunker is a big step away from the grounded thrills of Cape Fear, but it matches the show in terms of the sweaty-palmed, nervous energy it generates. In this first-person survival horror game, you play as a French soldier in World War I who wakes up trapped in an underground bunker being hunted by a monstrous entity. There are limited resources to generate light and fight the monster off—and the monster is always, constantly hunting you, replicating that sense of dealing with an adversary who will never stop applying pressure.

Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Steam

As Dusk Falls

A family is taken hostage by a desperate group of criminals as the police surround their motel room—and you play as both the hostages and the killers who have invaded their complicated, messy lives. The choices you make in this interactive thriller can lead to bloodshed. It’s a story that deepens as you play, with seemingly obvious choices made early on having unexpected repercussions later in the game as you learn more about each character’s background and trauma. It’s very much like living inside a film, with the tense game of wills played out between the criminals and the family feeling like being trapped in a room with a bunch of Max Cadys.

Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Steam

The Closing Shift

Want to double down on the claustrophobic sense of powerlessness Max Cady inflicts on the Powells? The Closing Shift is just the ticket. You play as a young woman working the night shift at a coffee shop. As you fend off weird customers and evil bosses, you get the unsettling feeling that all the little things going wrong around you aren’t an accident. As the night falls and the store empties out, that sense of being stalked and being in danger from an unseen enemy grows, giving you all the dread and terror you’re seeking.

Platforms: Steam

Life Eater

Maybe you want to be Max Cady—at least in a game. Life Eater gives you that opportunity, as you play as a murderer who believes he must kill in order to prevent the apocalypse. You must surveil your potential victims and make intricate plans to abduct and dispatch them, even as you slowly lose your mind due to the guilt and stress of your activities. It’s an unsettling game experience and certainly not for everyone, but if you want a sense of how much work would go into being a sociopathic killer, this game will give it to you.

Platforms: Steam

The best podcasts like Cape Fear

Whether you want a deep dive into the production and story or a similar narrative experience, podcasts have you covered. Here are some of the best choices for fans of Cape Fear.

The Prestige TV Podcast

If you’re looking for a podcast that recaps Cape Fear episode-by-episode while delivering a high-energy, entertaining experience all its own, check out The Prestige TV Podcast’s coverage. Hosts Rob and Jo bring the perfect attitude—they love Cape Fear without denying that it’s gloriously over-the-top and trashy in many ways. The result is an insightful conversation that doesn’t hesitate to highlight the more ridiculous aspects of the story.

Unbinged

Another terrific recap and discussion podcast, Unbinged hosts Alfredo, Sam, and Kopf really dig into the show as fans, offering up their own theories, observations, and background information. As a result, the conversation evolves with each episode as theories are proved wrong and plot twists take them by surprise. It’s like hanging out with a few smart friends while watching the show, making it a perfect companion.

Unlicensed

From the folks who gave us Welcome to Night Vale comes Unlicensed, a noir-detective story starring Luisa Strus as brilliant-but-damaged detective Lou Rosen and Molly Quinn as Molly Hatch, who plays Watson to Rosen’s Holmes. The story slowly builds to similar levels of tension as Lou and Molly take on a brilliant and manipulative adversary, bringing the same kind of psychological terror that Max Cady provides in the show.

The Stalker

For a true-crime podcast that goes in absolutely unexpected directions, check out The Stalker series from Javier Leiva. It’s the true story of a couple (Rick and Tanya Fernandez) who contacted the police, claiming they were being terrorized and stalked. The real story, which unfolds more or less in real time on the podcast, is a lot more complicated, demented, and terrifying. If you want the general vibe of Max Cady and Cape Fear in your ears, this is the way.

Cold

Craving a real-life exploration of sociopaths? Cold explores the December 2009 disappearance of Susan Powell. The picture-perfect image of her life with her two children and husband Josh is slowly eroded as Josh, his father, and his brother are revealed to be controlling people to various degrees, and it becomes clear that Susan wasn’t safe with her own family. It’s a disturbing story of manipulation, stalking, and violence that slowly ratchets up the sense of dread as it moves toward a shocking ending that fans of Cape Fear will definitely find compelling.

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If there's one word that sums up the streaming habits of Americans in the first six months of 2026, it's "variety." We're bouncing wildly between the heavy drama of HBO's The Pitt and the junk food TV perfection of Love Island USA, and hitting all kinds of stops along the way. They always said the United States was a melting pot, and so it is—at least on TV. Here are the top 10 most-streamed series of the last six months and where you can watch them, according to JustWatch.

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Euphoria

When it premiered in 2019, Euphoria turned heads for its stylish, nothing-held-back look into the lives of modern teenagers. Now in its third season, the show has undergone a major time jump to follow the characters into adulthood. Zendaya's Rue is still the heart of the show, and original cast members Sydney Sweeney (Cassie), Jacob Elordi (Nate), Hunter Schafer (Jules), Alexa Demie (Maddy), and Maude Apatow (Lexi) are all back. Sharon Stone has been added to the cast as an imposing TV showrunner, adding a meta layer to this always provocative show. Stream Euphoria on HBO Max.

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Stranger Things

The much-anticipated final season of Netflix's mega-hit series pulled in huge streaming numbers with a super-sized dose of teenage sci-fi. Season five sees the Hawkins crew back together for an epic showdown against Vecna and the malevolent forces of the Upside Down. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer pulled out all the stops, delivering a nostalgia-addled, tear-jerking conclusion to the story of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Hopper (David Harbour), and the rest of the gang. It's a satisfying wrap-up to one of the biggest shows of the decade. Stream Stranger Things on Netflix.

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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Based on George R.R. Martin's novellas and set in the Game of Thrones universe, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms ditches the epic scope of GoT in favor of the smaller, more personal story of Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), a good-natured but naive "hedge-knight" of no importance or renown in the grand scheme of Westeros. Dexter Sol Ansell plays his diminutive, bald-headed squire Egg, who just might be connected to one of the ruling clans of the land. Stream A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on HBO Max.

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The Rookie

Nathan Fillion's megawatt charm anchors this enduring cop show, which has evolved its gimmicky, quirky premise into a reliable and beloved police procedural. Fillion plays John Nolan, who started as the LAPD's oldest rookie and is now a seasoned training officer. The series balances high-stakes criminal action in Los Angeles with genuine humor and heart, thanks to the performances of Fillion and cast mates Lucy Chen, Tim Bradford, and Angela Lopez. If you're looking for a highly bingeable procedural that doesn't take itself too seriously but still delivers solid thrills, this is your go-to. Stream The Rookie on Hulu.

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The Pitt

HBO's gritty, hyper-realistic medical drama has earned acclaim from critics and audiences for its well-drawn characters and relentless pace. Starring Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael Robinavitch, The Pitt ditches the "disease of the week" format of many medical shows in favor of a study of the toll the modern medical system places on everyone involved—all in the course of a single 15-hour shift at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Season one earned five Emmy awards, and judging from its whopping 25 nominations this year, season two might win more. Stream The Pitt on HBO Max.

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The Boys

Prime Video's unapologetically brutal superhero satire is going out with a huge bang. As Season 5 begins, Vought International is poised for a total political takeover, and Billy Butcher, leader of "The Boys," is ready to go full scorched Earth to end the superhero menace once and for all. The performances of The Boys' ensemble cast—including Jack Quaid (Hughie), Erin Moriarty (Starlight), Laz Alonso (Mother's Milk), Tomer Capone (Frenchie), and Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko)—ground the show's absurdity with genuine emotional stakes. Stream The Boys on Prime Video.

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From

The residents of the unnamed town at the center of From just cannot catch a break. If it's not worms crawling around under their skin, it's the mysterious Man in Yellow stealing people's souls. Season four of this mystery-heavy show from the creator of Lost sees the survivors pushed to their limits as the veil between the strange town and the real world gets thinner. Stream FROM on MGM+.

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Widow's Bay

This series from Apple TV has won nearly unanimous praise from both critics and audiences. It's a rare horror-comedy that manages to be genuinely scary and really funny. In the island town of Widow's Bay, literally everything is haunted, cursed, and otherwise beset with unspeakable evil, but mayor Tom Loftis, played by Matthew Rhys, wants to bring tourism to the island. Mayor Tom is so married to his vision of Widow's Bay as the next Martha's Vineyard, he ignores the sea hags, fog monsters, and serial-killer-ghosts surrounding him. The great Stephen Root plays Wyck, an old-timer who's always there to remind everyone that time is short and everyone is doomed. Stream Widow's Bay on Apple TV+.

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Love Island USA

Prestige TV isn't the only TV; there's room for trashy reality too, and Love Island USA is a full meal of junk food. Hosted by Ariana Madix, this reality dating show delivers a steady stream of bombshell arrivals, messy betrayals, and unexpected romance. There's a reason Love Island has broken streaming records and sparked endless online chatter. If you're looking for a summer binge, you found it. Stream Love Island USA on Peacock.

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Off Campus

Ice hockey players are having a moment—first in the breakout series Heated Rivalry, and now in Off Campus. This college-set soap opera is based on the bestselling book series from Elle Kennedy. Set at the fictional Briar Academy, Off Campus details the heartbreak, romance, and drama between top college ice hockey players and the women who love them. Season one follows the opposites-attract romance between Hannah (Ella Bright), a sarcastic music major, and Garret (Belmont Cameli), the arrogant captain of Briar U's hockey squad. Stream Off Campus on Prime Video.

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We've officially crossed the halfway point of 2026, and people have spent the six months of the year streaming some amazing movies. The ten films below—the most-streamed flicks in the first half of the year, according to data from JustWatch—are a goldmine of cinematic variety, running the gamut from the epic popcorn sci-fi adventure Project Hail Mary, to Sam Raimi's unhinged survival thriller Send Help, to the gritty political action flick One Battle After Another. If you're looking for a guaranteed banger for your next movie night, you can't go wrong with any of the selections below.

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Project Hail Mary (2026)

In this crowd-pleasing sci-fi movie, Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher who is blasted into the firmament in a last-ditch effort to save the world. Grace is the only person on Earth who might know how to protect the sun from a cosmic infection that threatens all life (just go with it), but he's definitely not an astronaut and doesn't see himself as a hero either. Will he rise to the occasion and learn something about his inner strength and resilience while saving us all from death? My money is on, "yeah, probably." Project Hail Mary is streaming on Prime Video, MGM+, Fubo, and Roku.

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The Housemaid (2025)

Director Paul Feig's The Housemaid is a psychological thriller equally influenced by steamy suburban potboilers like Gone Girl and suspense classics like Vertigo. Based on Freida McFadden’s 2022 novel, The Housemaid has a classic setup: Millie (Sydney Sweeney), a young woman with a secret past, lands a job as a live-in housemaid for wealthy couple Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). Millie soon discovers that the nice couple who hired her is hiding very dangerous secrets. Great for fans of rising tension and killer plot twists. The Housemaid is streaming on Starz and Fubo.

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Send Help (2026)

Horror-master Sam Raimi is the perfect director for this violent, unhinged, darkly funny thriller. Send Help stars Rachel McAdams as Linda, a dorky cubicle drone in an office full of well-dressed sharks. Her boss is Bradley (Dylan O’Brien), a nepo-baby executive with unlimited funds and no compassion. The pair end up stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. It turns out Bradley's skill at belittling people is no help in the jungle, but Linda is something of a survivalist. She might also be insane. It's a perfect set-up for a twisty plot that ends in a bloody showdown. All thumbs up! Send Help is streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

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Marty Supreme (2025)

Loosely based on the real life of ping-pong player Marty Reisman, Marty Supreme is a fast-paced sports drama set in the world of professional table tennis in the 1950s. Oscar-nominee Timothée Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a brash ping-pong prodigy who can't get out of his own way. Gwyneth Paltrow costars as Kay Stone, a wealthy woman who becomes entangled in Marty's world. Marty Supreme has to be the most successful movie about ping-pong in history (save maybe Forrest Gump), earning nine Academy Award nominations and a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Stream Marty Supreme on HBO Max.

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One Battle After Another (2025)

Paul Thomas Anderson's nuanced, intelligent thriller about resistance and racial tension in a fascistic, anti-immigration vision of the United States seems ripped from the headlines, but it's not a documentary. Featuring fantastic performances from heavyweights like Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, and Regina Hall, One Battle After Another is that rare movie that's equal parts thoughtful and exciting. It was nominated for 13 Oscars and won six of them, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn. Stream one Battle After Another on HBO Max.

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Bugonia (2025)

I love it when a weirdo movie finds a big audience, and Bugonia is one of those movies. Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis play a couple of societal dregs who kidnap a high-powered pharmaceutical executive (Emma Stone) because they think she's an alien. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, who helmed 2023's excellent Poor Things, the Best Picture Oscar nominee is a must-watch, even if you're only a little weird. (And if you want more weirdness, it's based on an even odder South Korean film called Save the Green Planet.) Stream Bugonia on Netflix.

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Hamnet (2025)

Good job having elevated taste, America: Hamnet is a lyrical, high-minded historical drama that reimagines the family life of William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes Hathaway. Set in Stratford-upon-Avon in the 16th century, Hamnet explores the couple's grief following the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet, and its influence on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The film was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, but it only took home one: Jessie Buckley won Best Actress. Stream Hamnet on Netflix.

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Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)

Legendary director Gore Verbinski (The Ring, the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy) is back with a satirical, gleefully maximalist science fiction comedy that takes on AI, social media addiction, VR, and the modern world itself. Sam Rockwell plays a man from the future who shows up in an L.A. diner demanding that customers help him save the future from an artificial intelligence that is about to be born. Being a time traveler, Rockwell has tried this many times before, and has always failed, but this time, it's going to be different—or everyone is going to die again. Part Terminator, part Black Mirror, Don't Die is a throw-everything-at-the-wall movie that goes so far over the top, you'll be forced to submit to its weird logic and style out of sheer exhaustion. Stream Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die on Hulu.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)

James Cameron’s third foray into the world of Pandora proves that you should never bet against epic spectacle. Avatar: Fire and Ash continues the saga of Jake Sully and Neytiri as they battle both the hostile Ash People and the even more hostile Earth colonists. Packed with jaw-dropping visual effects that earned a 2026 Academy Award, this sci-fi adventure grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, making it one of the biggest hits of the year. If you didn't catch the visual spectacle on the big screen, or you just want to take another trip to Pandora, it’s now available to stream from the comfort of your couch. (If you need a refresher on all things Avatar, check out our deep dive into the franchise.) Stream Avatar: Fire and Ash on Disney+.

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The Secret Agent (2025)

This Brazilian neo-noir political thriller is set in the late 1970s, at the end of Brazil's military dictatorship. Wagner Moura stars as Armando Solimões, a former professor who has been classified as an enemy of the state and forced into hiding. Although it didn't win any Academy Awards, The Secret Agent was nominated for four, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Moura), Best International Film, and Best Casting. It has a nearly perfect 98% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Stream The Secret Agent on Hulu.

Welcome back to your weekly youth culture roundup, where I decode exactly what these crazy kids are getting up to. If you've been feeling out of touch, don't worry. I got you covered with everything from World Cup memes, to Generation Alpha slang, to college students outsourcing romance to artificial intelligence.

Ditto AI replacing Tinder

Younger people are using AI to take online dating to new, weird places. Ditto AI is a college-based dating platform that ditches the swiping and profiles of apps like Tinder. Instead, users fill out a survey and the algorithm gets to work finding a match. When a suitable partner is discovered, the app then sets up a date based on the interest of the couple. The idea is to circumvent the "too many choices" aspect of modern matchmaking. Instead of a flood of matches or rejections, Ditto AI sets up a single date, eliminating hours of scrolling, message app small talk, and having to make decisions about what you'll actually do on your date.

According to the company, Ditto AI does more than just match up people who like the same things. The company claims it "brings your 'profiles' to life as agents," that "interact, learn, and evolve." The company promises it will "simulate interactions with everyone in your school, city—even the entire country," until it finds the right person for you."

Ditto AI doesn't offer this service yet, but the logical extension is a conversational LLM AI agent to help people on a date know what to say to each other to eliminate the awkward conversations of the first date. The future of dating is a couple sitting across from each other feeding one another lines perfectly crafted to appeal to the other person, until eventually we cut out the middlemen and let the AI agents date each other while we all run away screaming to live in a jungle.

What does TSPMO mean?

This slang acronym means "this shit (is) pissing me off." It's mostly used by members of generation alpha, and generally just in comment sections.

(If you'd like more definitions of Gen A and Z slang, check out Lifehacker's slang glossary.)

Viral video of the week: influencer vs. grocery store

This week's viral video depicts influencer Catherine Ebs making a trip to a Sam's Club grocery store. Okay, maybe not the most compelling content in the world, but Ebs' incredulous reaction to the perceived deficiencies of the small town market caught people's attention and inspired hilarious responses. Check it out:

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And here's another parody for good measure:

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It's hard to see what, exactly, Ebs is even reacting to—it's a normal supermarket—but influencers can be strange. Maybe she was expecting a display of hand-foraged mushrooms or something. In any case, the internet was quick to rally in defense of normal people shopping in normal grocery stores, with comment sections roasting the influencer mercilessly enough that she nuked the original video and doesn't seem to have posted anything since. Too bad, because I'd love to hear her explanation.

Erling Haaland wins World Cup meme war

His team may have been knocked out of the World Cup contest, but Norway's Erling Haaland has become the star of World Cup 2026 anyway. Haaland basically dragged his mediocre national team to its first ever quarter-final spot in the contest, scoring seven goals of Norway's 13 goals in five games, but Haaland's online fame has as much to do with his charisma and personality as it does with his skills on the pitch. Over the last few weeks, Haaland's Instagram follower count has grown from around 50 million to nearly 70 million followers. Fans are in love with his Viking style, both on the pitch and off, and the way he spent the World Cup drinking in American culture by doing things like buying his entire team cowboy hats, and leaving the U.S. with a taxidermied whiskey raccoon:

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Lionel Messi loses World Cup meme war

Argentinian soccer superstar Lionel Messi is regarded as one of the best players in history and Argentina is favored to take home the cup, but Messi's losing the 2026 meme war. Yeah, he has over 500 million Instagram followers, but the backlash is real.

Messi's been given the nickname "FIFA's Princess," and nicknames are hard to shake. The perception is that Messi has a special place in the heart of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and that refs are fixing games to make sure that Argentina doesn't get defeated. There's no proof or anything, but when has that ever stopped sports fans, especially when there are funny memes to be made?