Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched DTF St. Louis’ season finale on HBO or via HBO Max subscription, so be warned!

When a TV episode features Peter Sarsgaard blissfully skating through blinking roller rink lights to the good-time rhythms of The Archie’s “Comes the Sun,” you just don’t naturally expect that episode to end on one of the most gutting “murder” mystery reveals in recent memory. DTF St. Louis is all about such juxtapositioning, though. Thankfully, the finale was also all about delivering answers, and with minimal threads left dangling in the end.

Creator Steven Conrad did manage to buck some of my expectations throughout DTF St. Louis’ concluding chapter, titled “No One’s Normal. It Just Looks That Way From Across the Street.” Not all of my expectations, however, even though the episode’s reveal did indeed eclipse what my darker theories were about. Let’s take one more trip ye olde communitye poole house to go through some of the questions answered.

How Did Floyd Actually Die?

Back in Episode 3, I first questioned whether a twist was even imminent to answer for Floyd’s death, so fully thinking at the time that Carol would be revealed as an insurance-scamming murderer, or something along those lines. At the time, I speculated about the off chance that Floyd was intentionally responsible for his own death by poison, though I didn’t yet have all of the details necessary to support that thought process.

The successive episodes and finale filled in those blanks, however, as Floyd essentially had all of his love-based hopes and desires blown up in his face at every turn. Despite attempts to make the opposite happen, Carol seemed to have lost all sexual desire for her husband. Clark’s attempt to set him up via the titular app went belly-up, literally, when Chris Perfetti’s character rejected Floyd based on sight. Then, when it looked like his BFF Clark might be willing to engage in more than just friendship and dancing around in tighty-whities, even that fell apart.

The heartbreaking last straw for Floyd — something I definitely didn’t see coming — was seeing his stepson Richard outside the pool house, with the boy clearly disturbed by everything he’d just witnessed with Clark. At that point, Floyd realized all avenues to happiness had been tarred over, and he signed an “I Love You” to Richard before downing the rest of his over-medicated drink. Which, in the scheme of things, is perhaps the most f--ked up thing Floyd could have done in that moment, considering the potential trauma involved.

Who knows what might have happened if Richard never showed up that night? If he’d just confessed to his mom early on about hearing Floyd plans, could she have stepped in for a last-ditch effort to revive his will to live? It’s impossible to know.

What Was Carol's Sealed Record About?

Throughout watching Carol's struggles with love, work and money, I've held strong to my belief that some event from her past would play heavily into her role in Floyd's death. I was convinced that it had something to do with Richard's father, and had all the confidence in the world that Episode 5 revealing Carol's sealed record would be the set-up to a gamechanging reveal. Not so gamechanging as opinion-changing, though.

As it turns out, Carol's record revealed her to be the Jean Valjean of DTF St. Louis, as she was caught shoplifting food as a youth, though for nourishment and desperation purposes, as opposed to her being any kind of a troublemaker. The finale doubled-down on Carol's financial perspective when some of her happiest moments were spent buying things to redecorate RIchard's room, something that she'd previously been unable to afford. (I can imagine she'd be just as happy to hear her umpiring evaluation from her teen supervisor Stephen Queece.)

So it would seem that many of Carol's actions throughout the season were committed with mostly a financial upswing (and her son's comfort) as her motivation. I'm sure the sex with Chuck wasn't the worst bonus, but she definitely made money a focus of that relationship by bringing up her debt and Floyd's life insurance on multiple occasions.

Honestly, I'm not 100% sure what Carol's life insurance angle was if she wasn't trying to get that payout sooner rather than later. Was it that she genuinely expected Floyd's health to plummet without the added boner meds?

I also still think Carol hit "What a bitch" territory every time she ran with her "Can you speak up?" ploy that came from her self-help tapes. So that didn't change here, especially when she gave up on it immediately after Det. Jodie called her out on it.

What Was Clark's Motivation In All Of This?

Perhaps it wasn't so surprising to learn that Jason Bateman's Clark, whose only desires on display throughout the season have been tied to banging Carol and hanging out with Floyd (as opposed to his own family), was just...lonely. Like, the loneliest kind of lonely.

Instead of harboring even an iota of ill will towards Floyd, Clark seemingly only wanted the best for his friend, to the point where serving that goal helped to fill the void in his own life. Unfortunately, while Clark's brain was behind the idea that fooling around with Floyd might be helpful, his physical reactions were not nearly as strong.

I think the rest of the Forrest family collectively counts as the most tragic character in this show, since they were all victims of Clark's infidelity. But something about the weatherman's journey feels similar, in that it was after he finally voiced his feelings about loneliness that literally everything in his life was stripped away. He might be a "free man" in the end, but at what cost?

What Actually Happened To Floyd's Bent Penis?

At face value, DTF St. Louis doesn't seem like the kind of show that would lean into the recurring gag of Floyd telling a long and winding Aristocrats-esque story about his bent-penis injury. And yet...

Thankfully, after multiple false starts, David Harbour's character finally landed the anecdote plane, sharing that his early-day job search, which transitioned into an embrace of sign language instruction, led to an evening argument with Carol that left her in tears. Carol herself described that day as one of the worst, but with Floyd's genitals having nothing to do with it; he might have other thoughts.

As it turns out, Richard took major offense to seeing his mother crying, and took a baseball bat to Floyd's groin later that night. Which presents a strange cycle where Richard was tangentially involved in two of Floyd's lowest moments. Hopefully nobody lets him be a pall bearer, or that casket is getting dropped and flipped open.

Now that DTF St. Louis' biggest questions have been answered, we can look forward to other mysteries hitting the 2026 TV schedule and beyond. Such as...why hasn't HBO branded a line of Modern Love Roller Rinks yet?

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched the latest episode of DTF St. Louis on HBO or via HBO Max subscription, so be warned!

When DTF St. Louis first arrived on the 2026 TV schedule, I wasn’t expecting its episode-ending corpse reveal to be one of the small-screen mysteries I’d think about the most over the next month and change. Yet here we are, a week away from the dramedy’s finale, and I pretty much NEED to know all the answers behind what happened to David Harbour’s lovable oaf Floyd Smernitch, and I’ll crash a recumbent bicycle into the shins of anyone who tries to get in my way.

Though creator Steven Conrad refrained from giving viewers any direct answers in "The Denny's Plan," the episode seemed to more or less close the door on all of the once-promising leads that made this case seem like an easy win early on for Detective Donoghue Homer. Which, as I theorize below, likely leaves us with a solution where murder wasn’t involved at all. Not that this idea will be a lot less dark than that outcome.

What I Now Theorize Happened With Floyd

From the jump, I assumed Linda Cardellini’s Carol was the culprit, and that assumption has yet to completely vacate my system, especially after Episode 5 revealed Carol’s secret conviction from her past. (Though without sharing what it was, annoyingly enough.) I started to hypothesize about Clark possibly killing his best buddy when Episode 4 made it seem like he’d be upset about Floyd and Carol rekindling their sex life. After everything that played out in Episode 6, though, here’s what I think happened.

Every episode of this show has showcased Floyd’s need for connections and affection, whether it be from Carol, Clark or stepson Richard. (Or crowds of concert-goers, or his dance instructor, etc.) By this point, though, Carol destroyed his ego, Clark usurped the sexual pleasures Floyd sought, and also falsely bolstered Floyd’s confidence and self-worth by creating the Tiger Tiger social profile and setting up a fake date. His kinship with Richard is seemingly better than ever, but that may not be enough.

Tying back to one of my earlier left-field ideas, I think that Floyd reached a point where his body and mind had been put through the wringer enough by his loved ones that he couldn’t take it anymore, and he maybe- purposefully took too many of the meds that Clark gave him, knowing that it could have a detrimental effect on his heart. So I don’t believe anyone killed Floyd in the sense that they were physically responsible for his death, and I think he took his own life.

Does that make Clark and Carol 100% innocent? Not one iota, since Floyd would no doubt still be alive if he and the weatherman’s paths never crossed, miserable as that life may have stayed. Let's talk about the other side of that below.

Why I Still Think Carol Is Partially Guilty

One of the biggest hang-ups that the detectives have dealt with remains the driver of the recumbent bike that was known to be around the scene of the crime. It seems clear that Carol was the one who took it there, though the details get fuzzy around there, since nothing around Floyd's body indicates she was involved.

While I don't have any beyond-the-norm guesses for why Carol showed up, I'm guessing she went there knowing that Floyd was an emotional wreck, and that he was already dead when she went inside. Rather than reporting it as a suicide, however, I think that Carol's first instinct was to redress the scene to make it look more like someone killed Floyd.

Why go through such a horrible ordeal before being able to properly mourn her husband? Because life insurance policies often won't pay out to beneficiaries when deaths are self-inflicted. Carol had already put the time and effort into convincing an already eager Clark to take out an insurance policy on Floyd, and there has to be something behind that impetus, other than just her thinking ill about his weight gain.

If Floyd's suicide led not to a million-dollar payout, but rather another pile of finance-wrecking funeral bills, Carol's life would be in even worse shambles. So I don't see any issues with believing her capable of cleaning up a crime scene to set it up more in her favor.

Do I think that Carol knew about Floyd's boner pills and purposefully insulted his weight in front of Clark just so her hubby might be browbeaten enough to off himself? That's some widlly f--ked up psychological warfare...but I'm not saying she's incapable of it. We'll have to wait and see.

DTF St. Louis' Season 1 finale is set to air on HBO on Sunday, April 12, at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched the fifth episode of DTF St. Louis on HBO or via HBO Max subscription, so be warned!

I’m quite pleased that with each week that passes, DTF St. Louis has managed to address and downplay several of the criticisms I aimed at the first pair of episodes, and I’m now at the point where I can stop judging every single awkward conversation these characters have. I’m still paying attention to those convos, of course, but more so now to help figure out the core mystery at the endangered heart of this series and its central love triangle: who’s responsible for Floyd’s death?

I’m amending my previous mental phrasing of “Who Killed Floyd?” to allow for situations where the character’s death wasn’t the result of a premeditated and/or malicious act. In part because the title of the latest episode references a prescription drug that Floyd himself said could have adverse affects on his body; but also because I’m still not 100% convinced that only a single party was behind it all. But my money is still on Linda Cardellini’s Carol being the driving force, with "Amphezyne” seemingly addressing one of the biggest unexplored details regarding the character: her past.

Carol Has A Prior Conviction On Her Record

Had Carol's prior arrest come up when the first or second episode hit the 2026 TV schedule, it might have already been glossed over as a somewhat insignificant detail by now, but completely different implications are in play with it surfacing in the back half of the season. I think it's even more interesting that it pops up in an episode that seems to erase all forms of jealousy-related guilt by revealing Floyd was aware of Carol and Clark's infidelity from the jump, and that him watching their sex acts from the hotel closet (the shocking ending from Episode 4) was consented to by all. He also knew Carol was bilking Clark for money.

For all that this new information could water down the suspicions I have about Carol, the arrest detail knocks all that water out of the equation. (Carol's "Can you talk louder?" behavior with the detectives is another bizarre red flag that cannot be explained away with the reveal of a hearing problem.) Unfortunately, any details related to Carol's legal troubles have been sealed away and are unavailable, which likely alludes to the severity of the crimes, or to someone of import also being involved that wouldn't want the news going public.

Obviously more info is needed, and I have all the faith that Joy Sunday's Jodie Plumb will get those redacted details out in the open posthaste, and that they'll have a major impact on how other characters (and viewers like me) see her. Sucks if she goes through all of this and the conviction is completely irrelevant.

My Ongoing Theory Is That Carol's Previous Relationship(s) Is Key To Understanding Her

The fact that audiences have learned next to nothing about Carol's prior relationship with Richard's father isn't the strangest thing, I suppose, if Richard's entire purpose in the story is just to earn Floyd more empathy points as a caring and non-judgmental stepfather. After all, we've probably seen more screentime between those two than between Richard and Carol. So is he really her biological son from a previous marriage, or are there even more complicated circumstances?

The episode did feature Floyd telling Clark via sign language that her "first" husband was a real asshole, but she chided them for not speaking aloud before any further details could be unveiled. We don't even know for sure if she's only had one ex-hubby. I trust nothing and no one.

The storytelling side of me kinda enjoys viewing Carol as a Black Widow killer, silencing a string of husbands for their insurance money to bolster a life of luxury. But Carol's life isn't so luxurious, which is a big part of why she's a prominent suspect in the first place, since Floyd's life insurance payout will seemingly change her life for the better, assuming she gets it. As well, I can't see someone who's killed her exes being a ongoing listener of self-help audiobooks. She'd have already conquered a lot of that.

Plus, that scenario probably wouldn't end in her walking free post-murder conviction.

So unless that prior relationship involved her failed attempt at a Black Widow-esque murder, something else must have gone down, and I am purposefully connecting the dots between Carol's previous coupling and her arrest, even though the show hasn't made that entirely clear. (Yet.) It's gotta be all connected, right?

I don't have a slew of predictions about how the details Carol's sealed conviction could help to make her any less suspicious. As such, I can only believe that her past directly informs her current life, and that Floyd's tragic fate is connected to her life before he came around.

Here's what I don't necessarily want, however: Carol's ex being some kind of a jealous maniac who's been following Floyd with the intention of killing him. Although I guess if there's really smart stunt-casting, I'll buy anything.

With a unique talent of being able to infuriate certain St. Louis residents, DTF St. Louis airs new episodes Sunday. nights on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET.

If you’re going to put the name of a city in the title of your show, as DTF St. Louis has, you should at least pay lip service to getting stuff about that city correct. The show, which you can watch with an HBO Max subscription, does so much right that I’ve now become convinced the writers are deliberately getting everything wrong about St. Louis. Now that I think about it, maybe that plays into the plot.

The Wrong Grocery Store

As I’ve written before, it doesn’t take much for the writers to get some stuff correct about St. Louis. I don’t need (or really want) a bunch of random inside jokes or Easter Eggs, but at least get the geography correct! Some things would take simple 20-second Google searches to get right, yet so much of it is just flat wrong. The latest example was Carol (Linda Cardinelli) shopping at Albertson’s supermarket. Albertson’s is a huge chain, I get it… But it doesn’t have any stores in St. Louis. Not one. There are two very large regional chains in town, and national chains like Aldi and Whole Foods, but no Albertson’s. As I said, a quick internet search could confirm this.

Honestly, it’s not just one thing; it’s all the things adding up that they get wrong that now have me convinced that they are purposely doing it. Is this an inside joke? The writing is not lazy, so why does this part of the writing feel like it? Trolling. That’s the only answer. They are making me and my hometown brethren angry. That’s fair, we’re an excitable bunch when it comes to the STL. We get dunked on a lot, so when we see a show with our town’s name in it, we get excited. Trolling us is actually pretty funny. Or maybe it isn’t trolling, maybe it’s something else.

Is This The Point?

What if there is actually a method to the madness? As DTF St. Louis has progressed, we’ve learned that pretty much everyone on the show is an unreliable narrator. The two police officers have been sifting through endless BS from everyone they interview, mostly Carol and Clark (Jason Bateman). The stories they tell are all slightly different. The things they remember are different. Maybe the details about St. Louis are just a big meta example of not trusting what you see.

If this is the case, then I owe the show BIG kudos, and I will eat every complaint I’ve had about the representation of St. Louis. They have done some subtle things correctly, like getting the date of a Cardinals game correct, and being spot on about the weather for certain days (assuming the show is set in 2022, as has been theorized). As I said, the writing isn’t lazy. If this is another level of that, I’ll be very impressed.

If not, I’ll still watch, of course, as it’s one of the most fun shows on the 2026 TV schedule to talk about and theorize on, as I’ve done here. I might be wrong, but I have to know what is right.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched the fourth episode of DTF St. Louis on HBO or via HBO Max subscription, so be warned!

After three episodes of making me think some particularly harsh things about Jason Bateman’s hornball weatherman Clark and Linda Cardellini’s scheming umpire Carol, DTF St. Louis has delivered the expository life moments I needed for both of those characters to feel like real people, and not just plot advancers. In doing so, this fourth installment, titled "Missouri Mutual Life & Health Insurance Company," also potentially threw a wrench into the works of my going theory behind Floyd’s death.

In this case, however, I’m more than happy for my expectations to be upended, since it previously seemed like DTF St. Louis was heading for an overtly predictable outcome. Now, I’m no longer quite so sure how the narrative will end, though my predictions are slightly darker now than they were before this ep hit the 2026 TV schedule.

Clark's Genuine Love For Both Carol And Floyd May Be A Motivating Factor

If it wasn't already made clear before now, Clark is endeared by Floyd, and appears to fully embrace the way his inner child comes out when they're together. He really did hit the social jackpot here, finding both a BFF and someone to fulfill his kink-filled bucket list. And it looks like Clark is also taking full advantage of both Floyd and Carol's need for financial assistance, helped along by the fact that the husband and wife wish to keep it all hush-hush.

But while I'd previously assumed that Carol was duplicitously setting Clark up by having him take responsibility for Floyd's life insurance, I'm no longer so convinced. Indeed, this fourth episode made me start to think Clark suspects something potentially nefarious in Carol's request to keep her out of the insurance conversations. And that, combined with Carol's insistence that she wants to reignite her romance with Floyd, makes me wonder whether or not Clark set something up that will eventually point the arrow of guilt back at Carol.

If Clark was pushing Floyd to the DTF app to get him to stray from his marriage, that plan came to a halt already, so where will Tiger Tiger reenter the story?

Carol's Struggles Are Real And Plentiful

It's not like I thought Carol and Floyd had a brilliant home life, but Episode 4 flipped up just about everything I'd assumed about their relationship. (Mostly due to this show's intentional pacing and editing causing viewers to believe certain things.) I thought Carol was an active cause for sexual frustration, which is more on Floyd. I thought she entered the relationship with Clark as a means to a financial end, but she may have also been authentically lonely. I thought she was 100% conniving and...well, that observation has yet to be flipped around.

Buried by financial grief, her son's inexplicably destructive actions, and a husband who stopped caring about his physical appearance, Carol took on an umpire gig she could have cared less about simply to bring in more money. And for all that she's entirely consensual with her and Clark's sexual encounters, she made it clear multiple times in this episode that her endgame goal is to get Floyd's mojo rising again (figuratively and literally) and to get him back to a place where his health isn't such a concern. Which isn't the kind of goal one has when they're aiming to kill the other person, right?

It's Looking More Likely That Floyd Ended His Own Life

"Missouri Mutual Life & Health Insurance Company" confirmed the idea that Floyd kept his issue of Playgirl around to reinforce his poor self-esteem. (And not because he gets turned on by Indiana Jones, Detective Donoghue Homer, you dumb bastard.) The ep also had Floyd saying he didn't want any more DTF app encounters after his awkward parking lot kiss, implying he wasn't that interested in stepping out on his marriage.

But it was that final reveal, that Floyd was hiding in the motel room closet during at least one of Carol and Clark's trysts, that provided the first truly convincing evidence that he could have taken his own life without a murder being involved at all. To be betrayed by the two adults he loves the most would be earth-shattering to a soul as sensitive as Floyd's, so it's possibly he went to that poolhouse that fateful night with his own demise in mind. (Possibly with the sub-scheme to make both Clark and Carol look guilty for it.)

We still have another three episodes to go, though, so we may very well discover ten more details that make all of the above observations completely moot and irrelevant. Unless they don't.

DTF St. Louis airs Sunday nights on HBO and streams on HBO Max at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Spoiler warning for anyone who hasn't yet watched the latest episode of DTF St. Louis on HBO or via HBO Max subscription.

Three episodes into DTF St. Louis, and I'm having more and more trouble with this show landing on the 2026 TV schedule sold as a "dark comedy." For all that I adore the entire cast, scenes come across more as laughably written than legitimately funny, and there's way too much emotional complexity and a big honking mysterious death to deal with for that much comedy to shine through. The biggest question at the heart of it all is "Who killed Floyd?" and that answer seems pretty cut and dry by the end of "The Go-Getter."

Unless that's just what the creative team wants us to think. Which, yes, is probably the case. (Just like they want us to think this show is located in St. Louis, which enrages CinemaBlend's Hugh Scott to no end.) So let's zip through things.

The Cops Think Clark Did It, So He Definitely Didn't

Richard Jenkins' Detective Donoghue is a malleable caricature of a cop, bringing an Occam's Razor approach to every detail of the case, while Joy Sunday's Jodie Plumb is far more invested in evidence over gut instincts. Everything Donoghue has assumed has been mostly wrong, and seemingly nothing that Jodie's discovered actually points to Clark being responsible. That secret key will likely have some effed-up story behind it, but it doesn't seem like Clark is hiding that info from a guilty perspective.

Plus, Clark's initially suspicious silence has been broken up by what appears to be a genuine love for Floyd that may have more in common with the motel trysts than we think. Bateman's character seemed to be at his most vulnerable when trying to put any articulation behind his specific feelings for Harbour's kindhearted goober, which doesn't support him being responsible. So at this point, I have lost all motivation to believe that Clark is guilty of murder in any sense.

Carol Is Prime Suspect #1

With one apparent red herring out of the way, DTF St. Louis is planting all kinds of guilt-bearing seeds that I can only presume will sprout arrows pointing directly at Linda Cardellini’s Carol. Let’s talk about some of the details we now know about the character, shall we?

1. Carol instigated the affair with Clark.
2. Carol’s motivations for having the affair now appear to be more about money than kink-laden sex.
3. Carol also lied to the cops about her regular Jamba Juice order, and not just Floyd, which suggests a deeper sense of guilt.
4. Carol’s son Richard reacts to Floyd’s death not with grief, but with concern about the family’s financial situation.
5. Carol is very clearly manipulating Clark to supply financial support.
6. Despite the infidelity, Carol does seem to genuinely care for Floyd.

Speaking to the money situation, arguably the most damning circumstantial evidence against Carol is that she is obviously coercing Clark into taking out a life insurance policy on Floyd, while also convincing him not to tell her about it. The goal there, one would assume, is to make it look like Clark set the policy up specifically to kill Floyd for the payout. (A weird move for someone who doesn’t need the money, sure.)

Without any involvement or having actual proof of the policy’s existence, Carol can claim ignorance and plausible deniability without leaving much room to argue against it. I can’t figure out a way for the insurance situation to be explained away as anything other than a sign of Carol’s guilt, so why did the show already reveal this key piece of information to viewers in Episode 3?

This is where the casting choices really shine, since Linda Cardellini has been portraying strong, sweet and lovable characters for her entire career, going back to the Freaks and Geeks and Scooby-Doo days of yore, right up through her more recent work in Dead To Me and Nonnas, among others. (Sure, she played a self-proclaimed “badass b--ch” in No Good Deed.) It’s a smart move to play with the actress’ largely protagonistic career choices, especially ahead of her debut as the iconic horror villain Pamela Voorhees in Peacock’s Crystal Lake series.

I would love to see Cardellini get a big Bond villain breakdown scene where she lays out everything that went into her actions. Only if she's actually responsible, of course.

Will There Be A "Carol Isn't Guilty" Twist?

Maybe DTF St. Louis is setting up a different kind of reveal, where viewers are led to believe that Cardellini’s character is fully guilty of murder, only to discover she’s even more conniving than that. It’s possible that Carol is preying on Floyd’s very clear insecurities about himself, his physical appearance and his injury-bent genitalia, in a way that could drive him to potentially take his own life.

I don’t necessarily think that Floyd went to that community pool house with fully formed suicidal intentions, and I get that it’d be weird for him to poison his own drink. But I do think that whatever transpired that night between Floyd, Clark and anyone else was particularly devastating, and that life would have been all the more complicated for everyone had he survived. I’m obviously not sure why his nudie mag was there, but his feelings about it were made clear with the scratch marks.

Maybe Floyd’s kiss with Peter Sarsgaard’s “Modern Love” set off a full self-evaluation of his sexuality and emotional core that tipped more towards bisexuality or homosexuality. Maybe he found out about Carol and Clark’s affair, and that Clark wasn’t interested in also exploring Floyd’s newly untapped feelings. Would that be enough to do it? Not that it would explain where the poisoning comes into it, but still.

If DTF St. Louis somehow flips the story to make Carol 100% innocent through and through, the life insurance policy on my disbelief will kick in. Find out along with me and other viewers as new episodes hit HBO every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. ET. If only we could get Jason Bateman’s Batman on the scene for his stellar detective skills.

Ok, I have a bone to pick with DTF St. Louis, the latest Jason Bateman-led show available with an HBO Max subscription (at least that's what it's called for now). I’ll admit, this bone is irrational, and I shouldn’t be as upset over it as much as I am, but I am. This is a show that is very obviously supposed to be set in St. Louis, my hometown. They even stuck the name of the historic city in the title, to make it very clear.

Why, then, are they getting basically everything wrong about the city? Have the writers and producers ever even set foot in St. Louis, or did they simply Google “things about St. Louis” and then completely ignore whatever they learned? They get a lot wrong, but one thing is driving me the most nuts: the geography.

The Geography Is Just All Wrong

The fictional suburb where Clark (Bateman) and his friends and family live is called “Twyla.” There is no suburb of St. Louis with that name, but that isn’t the problem. The problem is where Twyla is supposed to be, and what that means for Clark’s choice for his commute to work. Towards the end of the first episode, a weather map highlights where Twyla is, and it looks to be roughly in the area of western St. Charles County, on the outer edge of St. Louis’ exurbs, around the towns of Wentzville and Lake St. Louis.

That in and of itself is actually reasonable. Plenty of people live out there and commute to downtown St. Louis for work, as Clark does to get to his job at the TV station where he is the weatherman. What isn’t reasonable is that Clark seemingly rides his recumbent bike to work most mornings. Wentzville is roughly 50 miles from the heart of downtown St. Louis. According to a quick check on Google Maps, it’s about a 4-hour and 45-minute bike ride. Call me crazy, but even putting aside how tiring 100 miles of back-and-forth would be every day, nine-ish hours of commuting every day is just silly.

I Don’t Expect It To Be A ‘Love Letter’ To My Town

Let me be clear: I don’t need the show to throw in a bunch of easter eggs. I don’t care if they never eat toasted ravioli or get a roast beef sandwich from Lion’s Choice. I don’t care if none of the characters ask, “What high school did you go to?” at a barbecue (a local trope that St. Louisans love to poke fun at themselves over). No, what is making me, albeit irrationally, mad, is that they get so much wrong about the city.

I can forgive a lot of stuff if they were one-offs, even if it completely distracts me from the show. The show was filmed in Georgia, so the topography looks nothing like St. Louis, but that doesn’t bother me. No one calls a tornado a “cyclone,” as Clark repeatedly does in the show. Like, no one ever says that, ever, but fine, it’s not technically incorrect. They managed to shoot B-roll in Chicago, but couldn’t even get B-roll of Busch Stadium for the second episode? It's annoying, but hardly a deal breaker.

None Of This Is Critical To The Plot, So Why Not Get It Correct?

However, things start to add up. For instance, I think there is one Jamba Juice in St. Louis, and it’s way out in a mall in the ‘burbs. Carol (Linda Cardellini) works at Purina. Okay, that makes sense, but she says her office is on Central St. There is no Central St. in downtown St. Louis. Carol later explains that her husband, Floyd (David Harbour), is going “down state” for the weekend. That’s not a term that is ever used in St. Louis or Missouri.

None of these factors into the plot of the murder mystery. If Clark and Floyd lived a little closer to downtown, it wouldn't affect anything. If they get a street name correct (Purina is Chouteau Ave), it doesn't change where it is. The Jamba Juice thing is whatever, but maybe that's when you could slip in a local easter egg, like getting a coffee at a local spot like Kaldi's instead of a smoothie at a national chain. Why not just take the extra 30 seconds to get the little facts right?

All Of This Is Fixable

There are other things that I’ve noticed, but in the interest of not making this list 100 items long, I’ll just finish by saying, all of this is easy to double-check with a one-minute Google search. I get that the writers want to set this show in “Anytown, USA,” but if you’re going to put the name of a city in the name of the show, you should at least try to be true to that city. Otherwise, just call it DTF Twyla or something.

DTF St. Louis is a good show. It’s uncomfortable (in a good way), and the mystery it has set up is interesting. It’s hard to gauge the motivations of the characters, and it keeps the viewer guessing. The acting performances are fantastic, especially from Harbour and Cardellini. The show has some really dark humor that I really dig. There’s a lot to praise about the show. That’s exactly why I have to nitpick all these mistakes about St. Louis.

Why Put The Name Of The City In The Title Of The Show?

For me, if you’re going to put the name of the city in the name of the show, the city has to be a character in the show. Imagine Fargo without the accents. Or WKRP in Cincinnati with call letters that set it west of the Mississippi. Sometimes the little things make a difference. In DTF St. Louis, those things add up.

I get that the show wasn’t filmed in the Gateway City, and I get that compromises and changes are necessary, but come on, no one could take a quick second to double-check how far Clark would need to ride his bike to get to work every morning? I’m not expecting something on the level of the way The Wire injects Baltimore into the DNA of the show, but at least get what you do try to make local correct.

DTF St. Louis is a great addition to the 2026 TV schedule, and I’ll be tuning in every week. However, I’ll probably still wince at the things, little and big, that the show gets wrong about the city it’s set in.

There are plenty of ghosts, both pleasant and horrifying, waiting for audiences on the 2025 TV schedule. Sometimes those hauntings come from ideas like Peacock’s Crystal Lake, the Friday the 13th prequel series that fell on hard times, but has nonetheless persisted.

Now that the series has started to chug along in its current form, it appears that the pivotal character of Pamela Voorhees has been cast, and with an actor who's worked on both sides of the cinematic comic aisle. That choice comes with another facet though, as it's unfortunately ripe to inspire some Crystal Lake questions among the fandom that are similar to ones asked of the MCU’s Spider-Man.

Introducing Linda Cardellini As Pamela Voorhees

As freshly announced by Deadline, it appears that a deal has closed that will see Dead To Me vet and James Gunn collaborator Linda Cardellini playing one of horror’s most infamous mothers. Accompanying that news were these notes on how the character will be portrayed in Crystal Lake:

Spoilers for those who haven’t seen Friday the 13th but have somehow landed on this news: Pamela Voorhees is the original killer in this legendary franchise that helped define the slasher subgenre. It’s honestly a twist worthy of a Scooby Doo episode, as new fans usually walk in knowing Jason, but find themselves tripped up by his status in the overall arc of the story.

It sounds like Crystal Lake will be centered around Linda Cardellini’s maternal figure, and the reign of terror she visits upon Camp Crystal Lake in the wake of her son’s wrongful death. So much like Bates Motel did for Psycho before it, the backstory before the real bloodletting is going to shape what we see. Though whether or not that focus will be the driving force for the entire series is yet to be determined, as this Peacock subscription teaser’s plans are still hiding in the New Jersey woods.

However you don’t need to know too much more to realize two things, the first of which is that a largely Jason-less series might rub some fans the wrong way. The second factor is the one we’re really here to discuss, as Ms. Cardellini’s casting seems almost bound to incur some very MCU flavored discourse ahead.

Why Friday The 13th Fans Are About To Invoke “Aunt May” On This Casting

It’s been a little over three years since Spider-Man: No Way Home took out Aunt May Parker, and yet Marvel fans still debate Marisa Tomei’s casting as the classic Marvel Comics character. With a lot of spectators seeming to question whether an Aunt May can be “young and hot,” it’s a subject that stalks any message board like Jason Voorhees stalks his prey.

I fear that Crystal Lake is going to come under fire in the same way, as Linda Cardellini’s casting breaks the mold in the same sort of manner. You can practically hear keyboards firing up, ready to call out how the No Good Deed star’s looks are some sort of disqualifier for playing the more matronly looking Pamela Voorhees - with or without the machete in hand.

As far as I’m concerned, seeing the No Good Deed star cast in another morally complicated role is perfectly fitting. Not to mention if we’re really going to call out any cognitive dissonance here, it should be how a former Velma Dinkley will presumably slip on a mask of her own, in the name of dispatching some meddling kids at Camp Crystal Lake. Jinkies doesn’t even cut it.

I hope that more horror fans see Linda Cardellini as the new Pamela Voorhees for the win it truly is. Her multifaceted talents have brought her from genre to genre, running the gamut of morality throughout. Though we don’t know when Crystal Lake will premiere, it will assuredly be at a date that gives the internet plenty of time to debate. While healthy disagreements are fine and well, my fingers are crossed that the Aunt May-style discourse won’t be as long lived as what we’ve seen out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The following article contains minor spoilers for the series No Good Deed. If you'd like to catch up, be sure to check it out with a Netflix subscription.

If you've been keeping up with Linda Cardellini's career, you know that she's a chameleon when it comes to her roles. Whether she's the sweetest person alive or someone you literally cannot stand, she can pull off next to everything. Now, the actress and her No Good Deed co-star Luke Wilson have proven that point again through their perfect reaction to her latest character, Margo, and their explanation of the shock they felt while filming the series.

For those who don't know, No Good Deed is the latest series from Dead to Me creator Liz Feldman. Dead to Me itself is one of the best shows to binge on Netflix, and one of the stars just so happened to be Linda Cardellini, who received critical acclaim for her part as Judy Hale.

Judy Hale is one of the sweetest people imaginable and we all love her. However, after that show ended, Cardellini spoke to Feldman (who told Netflix's Tudum), and said she wanted to play something that was the opposite of Hale in this new series – a "badass bitch," which was delivered in the form of Margo. So, I asked the No Good Deed star if she believed that she accomplished that goal with her character. She says she does think she did in "some ways," because Margot is so complicated in comparison to many other characters she has done:

Margo is one of the Morgans' neighbors who is making an effort to buy their house for very selfish reasons. She wants to keep her husband, but there are so many moments throughout the series that make you wonder what her true intentions are.

In fact, her co-star, Luke Wilson, told me that her character in the show is one of the few times where he was truly blown away. He even asked 'who the hell' this person was that he was talking to because Margo was so opposite of who Cardellini is:

There have been plenty of great characters that Cardellini has played over the last several decades that have shown her range – from Chutney Windham in Legally Blonde, one of Reese Witherspoon's best movies, to Velma in the Scooby-Doo films, to even Clint Barton's wife, Laura, in the MCU. But Margo is where we really see Cardellini at her most unhinged – and it's a heck of a fun and shocking time.

Since its premiere on the 2024 TV schedule, No Good Deed has been praised as “quirky yet macabre.” If the series returns for a Season 2 – because we know she did make it out of the fire that was set to her house at the very end – it would be interesting to see Margo return in some way and if her behavior will have changed at all. Whatever the case, I'll be watching – whether it's a part of the 2025 Netflix schedule or beyond.

A new comedy has just hit the 2024 Netflix calendar, and it’s impossible to not be intrigued by the strength of its ensemble cast. Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano star as homeowners Lydia and Paul Morgan, and they are just two of the comedy veterans featured in No Good Deed. Ahead of the series’ release on the 2024 TV schedule, critics were given a chance to screen the new dark comedy. Now, you can see what the reviews are saying to decide if you should make this the next thing you binge on Netflix.

No Good Deed will see Lydia and Paul looking to sell their home to one of three interested couples, who are played by Poppy Liu and Abbi Jacobson; Teyonah Parris and O-T Fagbenle; and Luke Wilson and Linda Cardellini. Throw in a possible murder and this sounds like quite the interesting real estate venture. Kelly Lawler of USA TODAY sure thinks so, rating the series 3.5 out of 4 stars. The critic says despite the number of characters and competing plots, the series is worth the binge, as it comes to quite a satisfying conclusion. Lawler says:

Philip Mutz of PureWow praises the actors of this “twist-a-minute” dark comedy, predicting that No Good Deed will be a fixture at the top of Netflix subscription holders’ top 10. In Mutz’s words:

Isabella Soares of Collider gives the series a 7 out of 10, writing that No Good Deed is a prime example of an ensemble piece done right. Linda Cardellini is compelling as a character opposite her role in Dead to Me, and Lisa Kudrow gets to flex her acting chops far past her beloved Friends character. Soares continues:

Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian rates No Good Deed 3 stars out of 5, calling the eight-episode series “occasionally clumsy” but well-paced and packed with plot. The ensemble is excellent, Nicholson says, finding a way to blend slapstick comedy with, at times, painful family tragedy. The critic says:

Saloni Gajjar of AV Club, however, doesn’t agree. The critic gives the new show a C, saying this series is not worth your investment. The ensemble is wasted, according to Gajjar, but No Good Deed’s worst offense is its unimaginative whodunit. More from the review:

It’s hard to argue with a series that stars such comedic greats, especially with several of them getting to show how well they dip into drama as well. The critics mostly agree this twisty tale is a satisfying binge, so if you want to check out Lisa Kudrow, Ray Romano, Linda Cardellini and the rest, No Good Deed is available to stream on Netflix now.

The idea of having roommates has never been more fun thanks to FOX’s comedy series, New Girl. Even though it’s been over and done with for years, it remains one of the most rewatchable TV shows ever. Aside from hitting play on the hilarious sitcom for all the great bits in the loft, it’s also a blast for all the major actors who guest-starred over the years. While there are way too many for this list to hold, we’ve compiled some of the biggest names that appeared on the show.

Jamie Lee Curtis

Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis guest starred as the mother of Zooey Deschanel’s Jess Day in the Season 2 episode, “Parents.” Curtis was a great pick to match the quirky spirit of the sitcom’s leading character, and she returned to the series five more times after her initial debut on the series in Season 2.

Taylor Swift

When one thinks of Taylor Swift, sure, “actor” isn’t the first title that comes to mind, but over the years the phenomenon of a singer/songwriter has racked up numerous acting credits in projects like The Lorax, Cats and Amsterdam along. Oh, and what about all those epic Taylor Swift music videos? Anyways, Swift made an appearance in the Season 2 finale of New Girl when Cece is getting married to Shivrang. At the altar, the groom calls off the wedding to say that he wants to marry Swift’s character of Elaine instead.

Prince

One of the most memorable moments in New Girl has to be when the cast is invited to go to a party at Prince’s house… and they actually meet Prince. The Season 3 episode came about thanks to the iconic artist expressing interest in appearing in the show as a fan of the comedy. There’s nothing like that scene when Nick and Jess have a freakout when he appears.

Tiffany Haddish

Girls Trip actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish had a small role in the Season 3 episode “Exes” as a date of Damen Wayans Jr’s Coach. She is part of the plotline of Schmidt deciding to get his own apartment and encouraging Winston and Coach to use the place whenever they like for their hookups. In the scene, all three of them have used it at once and it freaks out Haddish’s character of Leslie.

Rob Reiner

All In The Family’s Rob Reiner returned to the sitcom fold as Jess Day’s dad, Bob, in multiple episodes of New Girl. The beloved actor (and director of classics like The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, This Is Spinal Tap and Stand By Me) was in eleven total episodes of the series, appearing in almost every season of the show.

Lisa Bonet

The Cosby Show’s Lisa Bonet guest starred in the Season 4 episode “Teachers” as an education guru named Brenda Brown. Jess and Coach meet the character while attending together. She calls Coach out for his attitude during the presentation that causes him to stop being Jess’s “buffer” while she tries to ignore her feelings for a British teacher she’s crushing on at her school.

Kaitlin Olson

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s Kaitlin Olson (who is back for Season 17 of the comedy) guest starred in New Girl for two episodes in Season 4. She plays Bob Day’s much younger fiancée, who happened to be the high school rival of Jess and Cece back in the day.

Josh Gad

The Book of Mormon and Frozen’s beloved snowman voice actor Josh Gad guest starred in three separate episodes of New Girl (in Season 2, 3 and 4) as a delivery man named Bearclaw who falls head over heels with Jess. He first appears in the episode “Katie” as a blind date gone wrong before also being in “Birthday” and “Walk of Shame.”

Dermot Mulroney

My Best Friend’s Wedding actor Dermot Mulroney is “Fancyman” in New Girl. The actor appeared as a guest star in eight episodes of the show throughout its run after becoming a favorite in Season 1. In the two part episode “Fancyman,” he is introduced as the wealthy father of one of Jess’s students who she strikes up a romance with.

Olivia Rodrigo

Yes, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series actress turned massive pop star Olivia Rodrigo was on New Girl, but it was before reaching mega-stardom. In the Season 6 episode “Young Adult,” Rodrigo plays one of the students in Jess’s school who becomes a huge fan of Nick Miller’s novel The Pepperwood Chronicles. In an effort for her students (including Rodrigo’s character of Terrinea) to like her better, Jess sets up a meeting between a few of the students and Nick.

Megan Fox

In Season 5 of New Girl, Zooey Deschanel was pregnant in real life and since that was not in the cards yet for Jess Day, the decision was made to have her character leave for a while on Jury Duty while Deschanel went on maternity leave. The creators decided to bring in Megan Fox’s Reagan to take Jess’s place and she ended up being part of 15 episodes of the series. Fox is of course also known for being in the Transformers movies, Jennifer’s Body and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

Alan Ritchson

Before Alan Ritchson starred in one of the best Amazon Prime shows, Reacher, the actor had a memorable guest spot on New Girl in the episode “Micro”. In the Season 4 episode, Ritchson used his comedic chops as a guy Jess is seeing who she struggles with getting past the fact that Ritchson’s Matt has a micro penis.

Henry Winkler

Happy Days and Barry actor Henry Winkler appeared in New Girl (alongside the incredible Julie Hagerty and Taran Killam) in the Season 5 episode “What About Fred.” In the episode, Jess is dating a guy named Fred (Killam), who she finds very boring, but falls for spending time with his charismatic parents Winkler and Hagerty’s Flip and Nancy.

Parker Posey

Parker Posey, aka the “Queen of the Indies,” especially during the best movies of the 1990s, had a great guest appearance in New Girl during the Season 2 episode “Re-Launch.” Schmidt is having a re-branding party for himself and Posey plays a dishevelled shot girl who was not as advertised.

John Cho

Star Trek’s John Cho appeared on New Girl for the Season 5 episode “Jury Duty.” Jess tries to get out of getting on a case for a chance to be acting principal. She asks her friends to help, but fails miserably in front of Cho’s character, who ends up being the man questioning her for the case after they initially have a flirty meet-cute.

Adam Brody

The OC and Nobody Wants This’s Adam Brody was one of Jess’s ex-boyfriend’s, Berkley, in the Season 3 episode, “Exes.” In the episode, Jess tries to prove to Nick that exes can still be friends by introducing him to Berkley, but she’s proved wrong when she finds out his true intentions.

Quinta Brunson

Before Quinta Brunson was the Emmy-winning creator and star of the hit ABC comedy, Abbott Elementary, she had a brief role in New Girl, in the Season 7 episode “Mario.” When Nick is trying to propose to Jess, she unexpectedly adopts a dog, throwing off his plans. Brunson plays a restaurant host that Nick speaks to on the phone as the plans shift.

Stephen Amell

Arrow star Stephen Amell, who played the Green Arrow for eight seasons on The CW, was on New Girl for a couple of episodes in Season 1. He played Cece’s jerk boyfriend Kyle in “The 23rd” and “Valentine’s Day.” Cece ends things with Kyle in the latter episode after realizing she has feelings for Schmidt.

Jessica Biel

7th Heaven and The Sinner actress Jessica Biel stopped by New Girl for the Season 4 premiere “The Last Wedding.” When the gang goes to yet another wedding, Biel plays a single woman who ends up competing with Jess to earn the affection of its best man (played by Reid Scott).

Justin Long

Justin Long had a memorable guest star arc on the first season of New Girl. He plays Paul Genzlinger, a music teacher co-worker of Jess’s whom she starts dating in time for the show’s first Thanksgiving episode. Paul is often thought of as a male version of Jess. After the couple date for about a month and breakup, Long made a re-appearance in Season 4’s “Walk Of Shame.”

Linda Cardellini

New Girl fans got to meet Jess’s sister, Abby Day, in Season 3 through Linda Cardellini’s three-episode arc. The Dead To Me actress plays Jess’s troublemaker older sibling, who is just about completely opposite to the sitcom’s leading actress. Jess is constantly embarrassed by Abby’s behavior when she comes to stay in the loft after Jess saves her from prison.

Alexandra Daddario

Baywatch and The White Lotus’ Alexandra Daddario played one of the neighbors to the New Girl gang in two episodes of the series. Daddario’s Michelle is deemed as one of the “hot” new neighbors that Schmidt, Winston, Coach scramble to impress after their first meeting left something to be desired. Daddario appears in Season 3’s “Mars Landing” and Season 4’s “Goldmine.”

Andy Samberg

For quite a few years, New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine were both big comedies airing on FOX at the same time. So in Season 6, the networks decided to crossover the comedies with a special New York episode for New Girl. While the friends are in the Big Apple, Jess gets some help from Andy Samberg’s Jake Peralta and the other cast. (The cast of New Girl was also on an episode of B99 called “The Night Shift” that aired the same week in 2016).

Peter Gallagher

The OC’s Peter Gallagher was in multiple episodes of New Girl as Schmidt’s father, Gavin. The vineyard owner first appears in the Season 5 episode “D-Day” when Jess is assisting Schmidt with wedding preparations. Gallagher, who has also been in famous movies like American Beauty and While You Were Sleeping, was a great fit to play Schmidt’s absentee dad.

Randall Park

Before Randall Park became the star of Fresh Off The Boat, Always Be My Maybe and WandaVision, he was briefly in a Season 1 episode of New Girl as an employee at a phone company (with frosted tips), who makes fun of Nick for his crazy low credit score.

Natasha Lyonne

Natasha Lyonne is a famous TV actress for her roles in Orange is the New Black, Russian Doll and Poker Face. Prior to those roles, she had a small role in New Girl’s third episode ever, “Wedding.” She played Gretchen Nelson, an acquaintance of Schmidt, who he ends up sleeping with at every wedding they both attend even though he claims he cannot stand her.

Dylan O'Brien

Teen Wolf star Dylan O’Brien plays the guy Jess Day lost her virginity to on the night of her prom back when she was in high school. In the episode “Virgins” from Season 2, Jess runs into him many years after their first meeting, but what could have been a sexual fantasy turns into an embarrassing moment for the two of them.

Brenda Song

The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody actress Brenda Song was in a few episodes in Season 2 (and one in Season 3) as Daisy, a love interest for Winston. It’s a short-lived romance for Winston, but Song is a guest star in what we consider to be No. 1 of the best New Girl episodes, “Cooler.”

Joey King

Before Joey King was the star of Netflix’s The Kissing Booth movies or the numerous 2024 movies she’s been in like A Family Affair, Uglies and Despicable Me 4, she was a popular child actor who was in Ramona & Beezus with Selena Gomez or the Taylor Swift music video “Mean.” She was also in a Season 1 episode of New Girl called “Bully” as one of Jess’s students.

Carla Gugino

Carla Gugino, known for the Spy Kids movies and being in multiple Mike Flanagan horror projects was in three 2012 episodes of New Girl as Schmidt’s new boss, Emma. In the first episode Gugino stars in “Menzies,” Schmidt gets into a sexual contract with her that doesn’t go as planned.

Nick Kroll

The very funny Nick Kroll is known for starring in The League, along with creating the Kroll Show and Netflix’s Big Mouth. In Season 2’s “Chicago,” where the gang goes to Nick’s hometown for his father’s funeral, Kroll plays one of Nick Miller’s brothers, alongside Bill Burr! You can tell Kroll and Burr had tons of fun with the Chicago accent bringing some levity to a rather emotional New Girl episode.

Fred Armisen

Saturday Night Live favorite (who was behind some of SNL's funniest recurring characters) and Portlandia lead Fred Armisen had a brief role in New Girl for the season five episode “No Girl.” While Jess is at jury duty, the gang rent out her room to random people, and Armisen plays a guy named Brandon. His short time there made a huge impression because of how funny he is with the guys. Remember when he read Schmidt his romance writing or dressed up like Jess at one point?

With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania having come out in February and now being available to buy digitally, with its physical release following next month and drop to Disney+ subscribers yet to be revealed, there are now just two upcoming Marvel movies left to look forward to this year. The next of those is a little over a week away, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 delivering the final hurrah with the title characters together as a group. We also know that we’ll learn more about the origins of Rocket, the “secret protagonist” of the Guardians franchise, which includes meeting one of his old friends, Lylla the otter. Well, thanks to James Gunn, it’s been revealed that this character is voiced by an established MCU favorite.

The filmmaker shared this information on Twitter while promoting a Vol. 3 clip posted by Collider, announcing that Linda Cardellini, who previously appeared as Laura Barton, wife of Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton/Hawkeye, is voicing Lylla. This marks the fourth time that Cardellini and Gunn’s professional paths have crossed, as the former played Velma Dinkley in the two Scooby-Doo movies the latter wrote, and then they directly collaborated together on Super. Outside of the MCU, the last few years have seen the actress appear opposite Tom Hardy in Capone and co-star with Christina Applegate in Dead to Me, which can be watched with a Netflix subscription. 

The aforementioned clip shows a look back into Rocket and Lylla’s past on Counter-Earth, when they were subjects of Chukwudi Iwuji’s “complete piece of shit” character, The High Evolutionary, and deciding their names with their fellow chatty animal pals, Asim Chaudhry’s Teefs the walrus and Mikaela Hoover's Floor the rabbit. This moment from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is an emotional watch, as the four animals are talking while locked up in their respective cages, thinking of when they’ll be able to forge their futures together in “the new world,” and we see that all of them have robotically altered in various ways. When he shared this clip on social media, James Gunn said the friendship between Rocket and those other animals was “one of audiences' favorite aspects of the movie” during early test screenings.

Meeting Lylla, Teefs and Floor is how those checking out Vol. 3 will get insight into what Rocket’s life was like long before he met Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot and his other fellow Guardians, and it was anything but an enjoyable life outside of his relationship with The High Evolutionary’s other test subjects. As Gunn explained:

Although it looks like Rocket and Lylla will reunite during Vol. 3’s present-day story, it’s unclear if that’ll be the same for Teefs and Floor. Will Rocket also get to see them during his latest adventure with the Guardians, or did they meet tragic fates long ago? We’ll have to see the movie for ourselves to learn that answer, but the good news is that the early buzz on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is largely positive. The movie is also notable for being the first cinematic MCU entry to drop an f-bomb, and, just like its predecessors, will boast a killer soundtrack, which includes some ‘80s and ‘90s classics.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in theaters on May 5. Make sure you you’re caught up on their previous exploits by going through their Marvel movies in order, as well as The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, on Disney+ before heading out to see the threequel.

In two feature-length Scooby-Doo movies, the mega-smart Velma Dinkley of Mystery Inc. had an implied romance with a male waiter in the 2002 film and started a relationship with Seth Green’s character, Patrick Wisely, in the 2004 sequel. Almost two decades later, a new animated Scooby-Doo movie is reaching out to a new generation, and the rumors of Velma being gay have now been officially confirmed to be true. Scooby-Doo alum Linda Cardellini has now shared her reaction to the news of her former character coming out as a lesbian.

In the new animated movie Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!, Velma develops a crush on Coco, a high-end Halloween costume designer. Linda Cardellini, who portrayed our favorite brainiac detective in the two aforementioned live-action movies, spoke to Entertainment Weekly promoting the third and final season of Dead to Me, and she shared her feelings about one of her beloved characters being a lesbian in the new animated film. Said the actor,

Velma has been considered an LGBTQ+ icon for years. According to Comic Book Resources, Velma was theorized as gay for years as she never showed any romantic interest in any of the series’ characters. This led to people assuming that Velma had no interest in boys, but preferred girls instead. In fact, some theories propose that the clever sleuth joined Mystery Inc. to get near Daphne, who she may have possibly had a crush on. While I personally think that a woman who doesn’t express interest in boys should not automatically have an assumption of liking girls, it would make sense in this case, as Daphne and Fred ended up together in the movies. So, why not give Velma a real love interest too?

Scooby-Doo was Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn’s first big Hollywood screenplay to get produced. In his original version of the script, Velma was actually written as “explicitly gay”, but the studio kept “watering it down” where Velma’s sexuality went from ambiguous to gone only to finally have a boyfriend in the sequel. A way edgier version of the script even considered a steamy kiss between her and Daphne.

You didn’t see too many LGBTQ+ characters in early 2000s films that were out and proud. Movies are starting to get braver today and including more same-sex couples (Lightyear, the Pixar movie from this past summer, notably includes a lesbian relationship and features the characters kissing). When a young audience watches animated movies and TV shows today, those of all sexualities will be happy to know they’re being represented.

The Velma character has been going through many changes for this generation. Not only is she gay in Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!, but they’ll be a change to Velma’s race in the Scooby-Doo spinoff Velma. Played by The Office’s Mindy Kaling, the comedic actress felt that it would make sense for the role to be Indian if she would be voicing her. While this casting choice was not without backlash, Kaling stood by the decision to change Velma's race as she said animation gives creators the power to do anything they want. 

Scooby-Doo alum Linda Cardellini gave her blessing for Velma Dinkley’s lesbian representation. In the EW interview, she adds that she would love to reprise the role again if only she weren’t “too old” to play her now. We’ll always have the memories of when Cardellini wasn’t afraid to “get jinky” with playing the glasses-losing, “brains” of the Scooby-gang. 

You can watch Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! on your HBO Max subscription and Linda Cardellini’s live-action Scooby-Doo movies on your Netflix subscription.  

Netflix is going all out for the final season of the dark comedy Dead to Me. The third season is set to drop next month on the streaming service, and it’s going to include an ER reunion from one of the medical drama's crazier storylines. Which – as ER fans can attest – is saying something!

According to Deadline, Garret Dillahunt is joining Season 3 of Dead to Me in a recurring role of FBI Agent Glenn Moranis, who is trying to solve Steve’s murder. The role is the complete opposite of who he played on ER years ago, which was a convicted felon and abusive ex of Linda Cardellini’s Nurse Samantha Taggart, who also stars in Dead to Me. 

The storyline on ER was definitely an intense one that ended in a prison escape, kidnapping, rape, and Sam killing her ex Steve in self-defense. With Dillahunt now playing an FBI agent, ER fans can enjoy seeing him (hopefully) being a lot nicer to Cardellini's character, Judy, than he was to Sam.

The end of the second season of Dead to Me involved a hiker finding the body of Judy’s ex-fiancé Steve (total coincidence), who was killed by Jen. It looks like the upcoming season will see a very difficult time for both Judy and Jen as their criminal ways might finally be out in the open, especially with the FBI working the case.

Most recently, Garret Dillahunt starred in the Amazon FreeVee series Sprung and the movies Ambulance, Where the Crawdads Sing, and Blonde, all just this year. Upcoming, he’ll be in the movie Red Right Hand, but a release date has yet to be announced. It’s unknown how many episodes of Dead to Me Dillahunt will be in, but the season will have 10 episodes.

Meanwhile, Season 3 of Dead to Me has been a long time coming. Netflix initially announced the end of Dead to Me back in the summer of 2020. So it’s been well over two years since we last saw Judy and Jen, and even though it will be the last time we’ll be seeing their antics, it’s sure to be a season you won’t want to miss. Even more now that we know an ER reunion is coming!

While the series is coming to an end very soon, Dead to Me creator Liz Feldman already has a new series in the works. Earlier this year, it was announced that she is working on yet another Netflix dark comedy, this one called No Good Deed. If it’s anything like Dead to Me, fans shouldn’t have any problem finding a new obsession.

Dead to Me’s third and final season premieres on November 17 on Netflix with a subscription! Check out Netflix's TV schedule to see what else is coming to the streamer.

If you were to put the best movies about college and some classic courtroom dramas together in a Venn diagram, appearing in the middle would be Legally Blonde. Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and later the basis for a hit stage musical, the story of Elle Woods' rise from popular sorority beauty queen to successful Harvard Law scholar is an inspirational one, especially for anyone who ever struggled with discovering themselves beyond face value.

Director Robert Luketic's feature film debut is also one of the best Reese Witherspoon movies and boasts a career-defining performance (before her Oscar win for Walk the Line) that is complemented by a wonderful supporting ensemble  including Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, and more we hope to see in the upcoming third installment of the franchise. For now, let's check in on the Legally Blonde cast by sifting through this slideshow featuring some of their more recent photos.  

One of my all-time favorite movies is Legally Blonde. If someone held me hostage and told me I had to quote the entire movie to live, I’d be freed in a heartbeat. 

Okay, while that may be a bit of an exaggeration, I do love this movie, from the moment I first watched it to now, years later, and it got me wondering about where the cast of this iconic comedy is today, from Reese Witherspoon all the way down to Linda Cardellini. With Legally Blonde 3 in the works, let’s take a look at where the Legally Blonde cast is today, more than twenty years later.  

Reese Witherspoon (Elle Woods)

Reese Witherspoon was the perfect Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. I don’t think anyone could have played the role better. Understandably, Witherspoon’s career has taken off even more since her appearance in the classic. 

Witherspoon has appeared in many of her best movies, that have done well both critically and financially, since Legally Blonde 2. This includes the funny romantic comedy, Sweet Home Alabama, the critically acclaimed Walk the Line (for which she won an Academy Award), Mud, Inherent Vice, and more. She’s also stepped into voice-acting, including a performance in Sing, and reprising her role in the Sing 2 cast. 

She’s also had a successful career in television, with leading roles in shows such as the HBO original, Big Little Lies, the Apple TV+ series, The Morning Show, and the Hulu original series, Little Fires Everywhere, all of which were received very well and earned her several nominations. She’s also actively working on the Legally Blonde 3 script with writer Mindy Kaling, so it won’t be long before we see her return as Elle Woods!

Luke Wilson (Emmett Richmond)

Emmett was the perfect love interest in Legally Blonde, and he was played by the talented Luke Wilson. Since his appearance, besides reappearing in Legally Blonde 2, he’s been in plenty of big movies. They include the comedy, Old School, the Anchorman series alongside Will Ferrell, The Skeleton Twins, High Voltage, Zombieland: Double Tap, All the Bright Places, and more. 

Wilson has also had success on TV. He played Levi Callow on Enlightened for a few years, Bill on Roadies, and recently, took on the role of Pat Dugan/S.T.R.I.P.E. on the CW’s Stargirl. I can’t wait to see what he does next. 

Selma Blair (Vivian Kensington)

I’m pretty sure at first we all hated Vivian, but slowly, she started to grow on us in Legally Blonde. Vivian was played by Selma Blair, who has had success in both film and TV. Some of her biggest hits have been the Hellboy movies, directed by Guillermo del Toro, as Liz Sherman, the After franchise, The Sweetest Thing, and more. 

On television, she’s had some huge roles on comedies such as Kath and Kim, Anger Management, Another Life, and more. She’s also had several recurring roles on series like Lost in Space on Netflix, Heathers, Out There, and more. She even played Kris Jenner in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, really showing off her dramatic skills. 

Matthew Davis (Warner Huntington III)

Let’s all say it - Warner was one of the biggest jerks in cinema history, and he was played by Matthew Davis. Since his role in Legally Blonde, Davis has mainly kept his talents on television. While he has appeared in movies like Into the Sun, S. Darko and more, his biggest role thus far has been as a part of The Vampire Diaries universe. 

For several years, he has played Alaric Saltzman. The character first appeared on The Vampire Diaries, and then on The Originals, and is currently on Legacies. He’s also had a main role on the show What About Brian, as well as recurring roles on shows like Damages, Cult, and even CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. 

Victor Garber (Professor Callahan)

There’s also that professor who seems like he's a good guy, but it turns out he's completely not, and that was the disgusting Professor Callahan, played by the (not disgusting) Victor Garber. He's been active in both movies and TV for some time. 

Garber has appeared in films like Milk, Take Me Home, Argo, Sicario, the Hulu original movie, Happiest Season, and more. On television, he portrayed Jack Bristow in Alias for several years, Oliver Roth on ReGenesis, Jordan Wethersby on Eli Stone, Simon Stern in Power, Martin Stein in The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, Admiral Halsey in The Orville, and had several guest roles that are too numerous to put here. 

Jennifer Coolidge (Paulette Bonafonte)

Raise your hands if Paulette was one of your favorite characters (*raises hand). Truly, a legend, and only a legend would be played by the legendary Jennifer Coolidge. Since her role in Legally Blonde, Coolidge has been at the top of her game, appearing in hilarious movies and amazing TV shows. 

Some of her biggest hits besides Legally Blonde 2 have been A Cinderella Story, Mascots, For Your Consideration, Promising Young Woman, the Netflix original movie, Single All the Way, and as part of the American Pie cast. And, from what Reese Witherspoon told The Hollywood Reporter, she’s also set to come back in Legally Blonde 3.

Coolidge has had some major roles on TV shows, like the sitcom Joey, the drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and 2 Broke Girls. As of 2021, she was a part of The White Lotus cast, which has been brought back as an anthology series for HBO. She’s also had a pretty great career in voice-acting, with some of her highlights being the Disney Channel original shows Fish Hooks and Gravity Falls. 

Holland Taylor (Professor Elspeth Stromwell)

Another character that I think we all grew to like, Professor Stromwell was a tough-as-nails professor who truly cared about her students succeeding, and that included Elle Woods. Holland Taylor, who played the professor in Legally Blonde, is another actress who has been in the business for a while. 

Taylor’s appeared in a couple of the Spy-Kids films, as well as other big hits like Bombshell, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, Bill & Ted Face the Music, The Stand In, and many others.

On television, you might have seen her in the hit sitcom, Two and a Half Men, where she played Evelyn Harper for the series’ full run. She also voiced Ruth Orwell in Electric City, played Ida Silver on Mr. Mercedes, portrayed Ellen Kincaid in Hollywood, played Professor Joan Hambling on The Chair, and has a recurring role on The Morning Show. Alongside all these big roles, she’s had plenty of guest appearances, as well.  

Ali Larter (Brooke Taylor-Windham)

Next up, we have Brooke, who was the main client (and former sorority sister) that Elle was defending in Legally Blonde. Brooke was played by Ali Larter, who has appeared in a variety of movies and TV shows. Some of her biggest hits include The Resident Evil franchise as Claire Redfield, Obsessed, Lovesick, and others. 

Her biggest role thus far was playing the characters Niki/Jessica/Gina Sanders on the NBC hit, Heroes. After that, she would have main roles in shows like Legends and Pitch, as well as guest spots on many other TV programs. She’s also had a recurring role in the police procedural series, The Rookie, playing Dr. Grace Sawyer.  

Jessica Cauffiel (Margot)

Margot was one of Elle’s best friends in Legally Blonde, and she was played by Jessica Cauffiel. After appearing in the comedy and its sequel, Cauffiel had some appearances in other memorable comedies, like White Chicks and Hoot. 

She also had recurring roles on The Drew Carey Show and My Name is Earl. While she did take a break from acting for a bit to focus on producing and writing for a little while, like for the documentary, Master, hopefully she can return as Margot in Legally Blonde 3.

Alanna Ubach (Serena McGuire)

The second half of Elle's best friends in Legally Blonde was Serena, who was played by Alanna Ubach. The actress has appeared in a number of movies, including Meet the Fockers, Bad Teacher, the Netflix film To the Bone, the Pixar animated movie, Coco (as Mama Imelda), Bombshell, and more, though a big focus has been television and her voice work. 

Since 2001, Ubach has worked on several animated shows, such as Team Supremo, Ozzy & Drix, Brandy & Mr. Whiskers, Higglytown Heroes, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, Pound Puppies, Mad, Monsters at Work, and more. She’s also appeared on shows such as Euphoria, The West Wing, Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, Californication, and many more. 

Francesca P. Roberts (Judge Marina R. Bickford)

While Judge Marina wasn’t in Legally Blonde for long, she made an impact with her character and attitude in the court battle. The judge was played by Francesca P. Roberts, who has had a great career in television since her appearance in Legally Blonde. 

She’s appeared on shows like Empire, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Shameless, Law & Order: LA, Boston Legal, Big Shots, Judging Amy, Grey’s Anatomy, and many others. She has appeared in smaller films, but TV is where it’s really at for Roberts. 

Oz Perkins (David Kidney)

David is another one of those characters where you never quite forget this face and personality, and his interactions with Elle were always the best in Legally Blonde. Oz Perkins portrayed David in Legally Blonde, and has been active in the movie and TV industry both on and off the screen. 

Some of his acting roles have included the movies La Cucina, Secretary, Electric Slide, and others. His TV roles are mainly guest roles on shows like the recently rebooted The Twilight Zone, October Road, Alias, and more. He has, however, directed and produced many fun thriller and horror movies, like Gretel & Hansel, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House and more. 

Linda Cardellini (Chutney Windham)

Last but not least, we have the perm queen herself, Chutney Windham, played by Linda Cardellini, a queen of Hollywood, in my opinion. Since her appearance, Cardellini has appeared in films like the Scooby-Doo franchise as Velma, the Avengers franchise as Laura Barton, Brokeback Mountain, Green Book, the Daddy’s Home series, A Simple Favor alongside Blake Lively, The Curse of La Llorona, Capone, and many others. 

Cardellini has worked on a variety of shows, both live-action and animated. With voice roles, she’s had main parts in shows like Regular Show, Gravity Falls, Sanjay and Craig, and more. One of her biggest on-screen roles was in ER, where she played Samantha Taggart. She had a recurring role as Abby Day on New Girl, played Meg Rayburn on Bloodline, and currently plays Judy Hale on Netflix's Dead to Me. 

Recently, she also appeared as Laura Barton again recently, but this time in the Hawkeye TV series on Disney+. 

All these stars, and so much to watch. Now, if only Legally Blonde 3 could come out soon, I’d be happy.  

So, here’s the thing. I’m not sure we fully appreciated the star-power of New Girl while the FOX series was on the air from 2011 to 2018. Sure, we’ll never forget Zooey Deschanel’s Jess going full-on quirky girl or Jake Johnson’s Nick Miller being the lovable doof he was, Max Greenfield’s Schmidt with his lotus pear conditioner or Lamorne Morris’ Winston and his misadventures with Ferguson. But, what also makes a sitcom as good as it was the New Girl guest stars who often managed to be super memorable and added a ton of laughs to the series. I’m talking about Taylor Swift, Prince, Dylan O’Brien and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Following my recent rewatch of the series and a few years removed from its series finale, I figured its time to rank the best guest appearances during New Girl’s seven season run. But first, I want to get a notable honorable mention out of the way:

New Girl's Guest Of Honor: Megan Fox

Megan Fox had a 15-episode guest arc while Zooey Deschanel’s Jess was on jury duty and the actress took maternity leave on the show. Although it didn’t seem fair to rank her with the others because she had significantly more screen time, I wanted to highlight Fox’s part in the series. Writing your star out of their series for a while is supposed to be a disaster, but it wasn’t thanks to the Transformers star. Fox’s Reagan brought a completely different flavor to the series, as a closed-off and suave temporary roommate to the New Girl cast. In the process, the actress showed off her comedic chops in a new way and provided a really interesting arc to the series. New Girl took a big swing and it paid off here. Anyway, on to the ranking!

11. Dylan O’Brien - Virgins - Season 2

Remember the time when the loft recalled how they lost their virginities? In the Season 2 episode, each of the roommates told their own stories of their first times and as it turns out Jess’ story involved The Maze Runner’s Dylan O’Brien. The actor struts into the show with style after an ill-fated prom night for Jess. He only strums a song for her on the guitar, but as the story goes, years later they meet each other at a bar and the results are absolute chaos. 

Dylan O’Brien’s guest spot is incredible because we expect him to be the rom-com heartthrob of Jess’ past, but nope… we were played in the best way.

10. Taran Killam - What About Fred - Season 5

One of the funniest aspects of New Girl continues to be its dating stories, and one Season 5 treat gave us Taran Killam’s Fred. In the episode, Jess is going out with the SNL alum’s character, who plays a hilariously boring oddball that feels like someone we’ve all met somewhere. What happens is she ends up sticking around with him because she loves hanging out with his parents more than him (played by Julie Hagerty and Henry Winkler). Killam is having fun playing around with his boring boyfriend bit and it really shows. Not to mention that amazing break dance moment with Winston.

9. Linda Cardellini - Sister - Season 3

Megan Fox wasn’t the only “anti-Jess” to shake up the FOX show throughout New Girl. In Season 3, Linda Cardellini’s character of Jess’ rebel sister was introduced into the show. You really can’t help but laugh and cringe at the wacky storyline Cardellini's character goes through as she uses her and her roommates, most memorably by dating Schmidt just so she can have a place to stay. It’s just about the worst match ever when Abby Day gets with Greenfield’s character, but it’s fun to watch play out.

8. Jessica Biel - The Last Wedding - Season 4

We really don’t get to see Jessica Biel in enough comedy roles these days, but in Season 4 of New Girl, she did a hilarious guest spot as the other woman in the way of Jess going home with the best eligible bachelor of the wedding she and the loft is attending. Throughout the episode, Jess and Biel’s character Kat end up following a man around (played by Ben Feldman) to crazed levels. Biel has solid chemistry with Zooey Deschanel in the episode and her character swept us off our feet in the matter of 20 minutes.

7. Adam Brody - Exes - Season 3

The OC and Shazam! actor Adam Brody also joined New Girl as a guest star to play another one of Jess’ former lovers in a Season 3 episode that tackles the question of whether one can be friends with exes. In the episode, Jess attempts to convince Nick that he can remain friends with his ex Caroline (played by Mary Elizabeth Ellis), but in the process she learns that she has been leading on Adam Brody’s Berkley for years. Adam Brody plays an adorable new dad who seems harmless, but then really mixes things up in a sharply funny way.

6. Fred Armisen - No Girl - Season 5

Another gem that came out of the time New Girl was without Zooey Deschanel is when SNL funny man Fred Armisen played one of their strange live-in roommates early on. Armisen played a reserved and mysterious housemate that kind of just hangs around the house with nothing to say until the very end when he does a 180 and shows up dressed as Jess Day, and even acts like her. It’s an odd anomaly since he hadn’t met Jess during his stay, but that’s kind of why it’s so hilarious and a great guest appearance.

5. Taylor Swift - Elaine’s Big Day - Season 2

A truly great celebrity guest appearance is a surprise one, and that’s what happens in the Season 2 finale of New Girl with Taylor Swift. The pop singer’s role in the series might actually have the shortest screen time on this list, but it’s undeniably memorable, and for that it finds a place in the top five! During the memorable finale that has Cece getting her arranged marriage to Shivrang amidst protest and pranks from Schmidt and Winston, along with some developments in Jess and Nick’s relationship. As the wedding episode reaches its finale, Taylor Swift pops out to pronounce her love for Shivrang. It’s a weird and funny twist for the episode and the perfect insert of someone as iconic as the singer.

4. Jamie Lee Curtis And Rob Reiner - Parents - Season 2

A genius bit of casting in New Girl was the decision to make Jamie Lee Curtis and Rob Reiner Jess’ parents in the series. The pair made a few recurring appearances to the Fox series after their introduction in Season 2, but every single time they were an absolute delight. They play a divorced couple who are convincingly Jess’ mom and dad and it’s so much fun to see the pair play off each other and the cast. They truly struck gold with these two and New Girl is better for their additions to the series.

3. Josh Gad - Katie - Season 2

New Girl also gave us Josh Gad more unhinged than ever with his role as Bearclaw in Season 2. In the episode “Katie”, the actor uses his unique brand of humor to play a man she meets at a bar on the same episode she meets David Walton’s Sam Sweeney (her famed doctor boyfriend). In the episode, she blows off Bearclaw to go out with Sam, and things get super awkward. Gad returns in two more episodes to deliver his best moment, a woodland animal musical. Bearclaw makes excellent use of the Frozen actor and has some of the most laugh-out-loud moments in the show.

2. Justin Long - Bad In Bed - Season 1

As we soon approach the end and top of the New Girl guest star ranking, we’ve come to the last of Jess’s ex boyfriends. I guess that makes my favorite guest boyfriend in the series Justin Long’s Paul Genzlinger, who is basically the male version of Jessica Day. The couple meet in the first season of New Girl at school and then briefly date. Long has a few episodes on the show, but every time his dynamic with the cast is absolutely perfect. He plays a bit of a golden retriever boyfriend and plays off the awkwardness of Jess in a really fun way. A moment of silence for that cringe-y sex scene where Jess tries to mix it up in bed with roleplaying… nope, can’t do it, still hilarious as ever.

1. Prince - Prince - Season 3

Was it ever going to be anyone else but the late Prince? The Season 3 guest spot might be the most iconic moment in the series ever, and there are so many reasons why. The singer was apparently a big fan of the sitcom, and therefore allowed the cast to grace his presence for an episode about the loft gang getting into an exclusive party hosted by Prince. The episode comes at a pivotal moment in the series where things are heating up between Jess and Nick, and Zooey Deschanel’s character is gearing up to say those three special words to him. The Prince episode is majestic, fun and showcases everything that’s wonderful about New Girl.

All seven seasons of New Girl is currently available to stream on Netflix. Which notable guest star on the series was your favorite? Vote in the poll below. That's my queue to backwards moonwalk out of here!

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It's hard to believe that it's been over 20 years since Freaks and Geeks aired its brief few episodes on NBC. Created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, this coming-of-age teen dramedy is considered one of the finest programs to ever get canceled prematurely, but it has grown long legs since. Through its critical success and cult following, this short-lived show helped foster the careers of Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, Martin Starr, Busy Philipps, and John Francis Daley. Now that the show is available to stream in full on Hulu, let's take this moment to see how far these stars have come since these humble beginnings.

Here's what the Freaks and Geeks cast is doing now.

John Francis Daley (Sam Weir)

As Sam Weir, the quiet comedy enthusiast who finds his clique with the geeks, John Francis Daley was one of the leads of the show. Afterward, Daley became known for his work in Bones. His other notable acting credits include View from the Top, Waiting ..., The Geena Davis Show, Boston Public, Kitchen Confidential, Dude Bro Party Massacre III, and 5-22-77. Outside of acting, Daley developed a second career as a Hollywood screenwriter, notably penning Horrible Bosses, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, and Spider-Man: Homecoming. He also wrote and co-directed Vacation (2015), helmed Game Night, and produced Stuber.

Next, John Francis Daley serves as the writer behind Vacation Friends. He's also attached to write and direct a new Dungeons & Dragons movie. Away from acting, he sings and plays keyboards for the band, Dayplayer.

Linda Cardellini (Lindsay Weir)

In the role of Lindsay Weir, a gifted high schooler and Sam's older sister, Linda Cardellini played one half of the lead roles in Freaks and Geeks. Outside of this short-lived series, the actress is best known for her work in the live-action Scooby-Doo movies, as well as ER, Mad Men, Bloodline, Legally Blonde, Brokeback Mountain, A Simple Favor, Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Daddy's Home movies, The Curse of La Llorona, The Founder, Good Burger, Boy Meets World, and Green Book. She can also be heard in Regular Show, Gravity Falls, Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and Sanjay and Craig.

Currently, Linda Cardellini can be seen in Netflix's Dead to Me, where she also serves as a co-executive producer. She has been Emmy-nominated for this leading role. Most recently, the actress appeared in Capone and several episodes of Disney+'s Muppets Now.

Samm Levine (Neal Schweiber)

In the part of Neal Schweiber, a comedy-loving geek, Samm Leivne played a scene-stealing supporting character on the series. Levine is known for his work in Inglorious Basterds, the Wet Hot American Summer franchise, Not Another Teen Movie, Pulse, Club Dread, Sydney White, I Love You Beth Cooper, Jobs, NCIS, Crunch Time, Another Period, Selfie, Do No Harm, and Drunk History. Outside of acting, Levine served as a sidekick and fill-in host on Kevin Pollak's Chat Show. He also regularly appeared on Collider's Movie Trivia Schmoedown.

Most recently, Samm Levine was seen in No Good Nick, I'd Like To Be Alone Now, and the short film, Summoned. Next, he'll be seen in Adverse, Immortal, and Bonded. Additionally, Levine will be featured in Wags to Riches.

Seth Rogen (Ken Miller)

As Ken Miller, a wise-cracking, extremely sarcastic student at William McKinley High School, Seth Rogen started his career and later found his fame thanks to his early exposure here. His next acting credits include Knocked Up, Undeclared, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Funny People, Steve Jobs, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, 50/50, Neighbors, Long Shot, and The Disaster Artist, plus Superbad and Pineapple Express (both of which he also co-wrote).

Additionally, Seth Rogen lent his voice to the Kung Fu Panda movies, Monsters vs. Aliens, Paul, Shrek the Third, Horton Hears a Who, and The Lion King (2019). Also, he wrote, directed, and starred in This is the End and The Interview. The actor directed for Preacher, Future Man, and Black Sunday, and wrote for The League, The Simpsons, and Da Ali G Show, for which he was Emmy-nominated. Most recently, Rogen starred in An American Pickle. He was also seen in The Boys and heard in Big Mouth. His upcoming credits include Invincible, Pam & Tommy, and Santa Inc.

James Franco (Daniel Desario)

In the role of Daniel Desario, Nick's best friend who's in an unsteady relationship with Kim, James Franco first gained notoriety for his work in Freaks and Geeks. Franco's profile continued to rise thanks to the Spider-Man trilogy, Pineapple Express, Milk, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Spring Breakers, Oz the Great and Powerful, This is the End, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Sausage Party, and 127 Hours, the latter for which he was Oscar-nominated. He also won a Golden Globe for his leading role in The Disaster Artist, which he also directed. Additionally, on television, Franco starred in The Deuce and 11.22.63, and appeared on General Hospital, The Mindy Project, and Angie Tribeca. Outside of acting, Franco also authored Palo Alto and Actors Anonymous.

Most recently, James Franco starred in Zeroville, which he also directed. He was also heard in Arctic Dogs. Next, he'll be seen in Kill the Czar and The Long Home, which he also directed. But, after a series of allegations were made against him, Franco has kept a low profile.

Jason Segel (Nick Andopolis)

Playing the part of Nick Andopolis, one of the Freaks who's often protective of Lindsay, Jason Segel found his early breakout role in this show. Following his time in this series, Segel starred in CBS's long-running How I Met Your Mother. The actor also wrote and starred in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 2011's The Muppets, The Five-Year Engagement, and Sex Tape. His other notable film credits include I Love You Man, Jeff Who Lives At Home, Bad Teacher, Knocked Up, This is 40, Can't Hardly Wait, This is the End, and The End of the Tour. Additionally, he worked with Judd Apatow on the similarly short-lived series, Undeclared.

Most recently, Jason Segel was seen in Our Friend. He also created, wrote, directed, and starred in AMC's anthology series, Dispatches from Elsewhere. Segel made an appearance in Quibi's Home Movie: The Princess Bride. Next, Segel will star in The Sky Is Everywhere. Outside of acting, Segel has co-authored several novels, including the Nightmares! series and the Last Reality series, with Kirsten Miller.

Martin Starr (Bill Haverchuck)

As Bill Haverchuck, one of the freshman geeks, Martin Starr had his first brush with fame through his supporting turn in Freaks and Geeks. Following his time in this series, Starr, well, starred in Starz's Party Down. He also played a lead role in HBO's Silicon Valley. His other notable credits include Knocked Up, Adventureland, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Superbad, This is the End, NTSF: SD: SUV::, Burning Love, Life in Pieces, Veronica Mars, Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, Honey Boy, and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

Most recently, Martin Starr guest-starred in truTV's Tacoma FD. Next, he'll be seen in Samaritan, Spider-Man 3, and the short film, Milford.

Busy Philipps (Kim Kelly)

In the role of Kim Kelly, Lindsay Weir's best friend, Busy Philipps played a prominent supporting character in Freaks and Geeks. Outside of this show, Philipps is known for her work in Dawson's Creek, Cougar Town, ER, Love Inc., White Chicks, He's Just Not That Into You, The Gift (2015), The Smokers, Home Room, Made of Honor, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Vice Principals, and I Feel Pretty. Additionally, from 2018 through 2019, Philipps hosted E!'s late-night talk show, Busy Tonight.

Most recently, Busy Philipps appeared in an episode of Search Party. Next, Philipps stars in Peacock's Girls5Eva. Outside of acting, the actress released her memoir, This Will Only Hurt A Little, in 2018.

Becky Ann Baker (Jean Weir)

Playing the part of Jean Weir, Lindsay and Sam's mother, Becky Ann Baker played a pivotal maternal character in Freaks and Geeks. Away from this Fox series, Baker is best known for her Emmy-nominated performance in HBO's Girls. Her other notable credits include Blue Steel, Lorenzo's Oil, Men in Black, Jacob's Ladder, In & Out, Spider-Man 3, Nights in Rodanthe, The End of the Tour, Table 19, Hope Springs, A Simple Plan, Stay, The Good Wife, The Blacklist, Big Little Lies, Younger, and Brockmire.

Most recently, Becky Ann Baker was seen in The Half of It. She also made appearances in Social Distance, Little America, Manhunt, Council of Dads, Little Voice, and Katy Keene. Next, Baker will be seen in Holler, which premiered at TIFF, and Starbright. Additionally, outside of acting, Baker produced the short film, Pizza Party, last year.

Joe Flaherty (Harold Weir)

As Harold Weir, Jean's husband and Lindsay and Sam's father, Joe Flaherty played a paternal character in Freaks and Geeks. Most notably, away from this role, the actor-comedian is known for his work on SCTV and Happy Gilmore. He also appeared in 1941, Johnny Dangerously, Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, Innerspace, Back to the Future Part II, Stuart Saves His Family, Detroit Rock City, That '70s Show, Who's Harry Crumb?, Slackers, National Security, Club Paradise, Heavy Metal, and Stripes.

Most recently, Joe Flaherty appeared in Call Me Fitz, and the short film, Nightlife. He also wrote an episode Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. He doesn't have any upcoming credits at this time.

You can stream Freaks and Geeks on Hulu here.

Netflix's Dead to Me followed up on its wildly hectic first season by offering up one of the most nerve-wracking seasons of TV so far in 2020 (or any recent year), and managed to cap things off in a way that felt like a perfectly fitting ending from a narrative perspective, even if some characters were left in dangerous predicaments. Fans need not worry any longer about whether or not Jen's story will continue, because Netflix has confirmed Season 3 is happening! That said, the news isn't all as rosy as Judy's outlook on life.

Before diving into the more disappointing side of things, let's celebrate Dead to Me's future with the show's announcement post on Twitter.

Okay now for the sad update: Dead to Me Season 3 will be the dark dramedy's final season on Netflix. The streaming service and creator Liz Feldman apparently came to an agreement that the best case scenario for the Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini-starring series was for this third batch of episodes to serve as the final arc in these characters' highly tumultuous lives. Woe is me!

Here's how Liz Feldman explained it in the official announcement:

Now to flip it back around with some MORE good news. Dead to Me creator Liz Feldman has now entered into a new overall deal with Netflix, with the show's third season being the first project created under the agreement. While it's not clear just yet what else will come from this deal, fans can expect to see several new Feldman projects popping up in the coming years, even if she will be serving as a producer in some cases and not necessarily as the creator or showrunner. However it goes, audiences will likely come out on top.

Of course, there's a lot now riding on Liz Feldman and Dead to Me to really stick the landing with Season 3. Not to get too into spoiler territory, but Season 2 ended in such a big and cataclysmic way that it's hard to tell exactly how new episodes will kick off. It does seem like star James Marsden will be returning as still-living twin Ben Wood, but he might be trying to make an escape of some kind after nearly destroying his life, as well as that of others. However it goes, though, we definitely need to see Katey Sagal returning in some capacity. (And while we're at it, maybe that long-rumored Married with Children revival can happen once Christina Applegate is finished with Dead to Me.)

Both current seasons of Dead to Me are available to stream now on Netflix, with Season 3 likely premiering at some point in 2021. To see what else is already confirmed for the streaming service this year, please head to our 2020 Netflix premiere schedule.

Throughout his career, Tom Hardy has proven to be fully committed to the roles he takes on. From Bane in The Dark Knight Rises to John Fitzgerald in The Revenant, and now Al Capone, he fully immerses himself in the character. And it sounds like he expects the same from his co-stars, which led to him giving Linda Cardellini a great comment in one Capone scene.

While speaking with THR, Linda Cardellini spoke a bit about acting with Tom Hardy on the set of Capone. She plays Mae Capone, Al Capone’s wife, and in one scene Cardellini has to slap Hardy, which made her uncomfortable. After all, most people don’t want to get slapped, but it sounds like Hardy encouraged it. Here’s what Cardellini said about it:

Ouch! Tom Hardy clearly wanted Linda Cardellini to own the slap and make it look real. That sounds about right considering this is Tom Hardy we’re talking about. While Capone overall has been getting mixed reviews, Tom Hardy’s fully-committed performance seems to be the bright spot of the film.

While it sounds like Linda Cardellini has nothing but nice things to say about Tom Hardy, that hasn’t always been the case of his other co-stars. His feud with Charlize Theron on the set of Max Max: Fury Road is practically legend at this point, though he says he regrets the drama now. He’s probably happy there weren’t any heavy slapping scenes in that movie.

Though that’s not to say Tom Hardy is always serious on set; he has been known to find ways to break the tension when things get too serious. On the set of The Revenant, when the mood dropped, he would say, “Why don’t we have a cuddle in front of all these people here?”

Tom Hardy’s advice to Linda Cardellini isn’t unlike similar advice Capone director Josh Trank received from fellow director and friend Rian Johnson. Recently, Trank revealed that he hosted a screening of Capone with his friends and family for some feedback. Afterwards, Johnson advised him that Capone is weird, but that he should own it and make it even weirder.

For those of you that want a bizarre gangster experience, Capone is available now on VOD. Keep visiting CinemaBlend for all the latest in movie news, and don't forget to browse through our 2020 release calendar.

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever-changing property, but it's in a particularly interesting place right now. We're currently occupying the interim period between phases, with the fandom eager to see the franchise return to theaters with Black Widow. With the Infinity Saga behind us, there's no telling what the studio has planned, as the franchise expands with movies and live-action TV shows on Disney+. That confusion also appears to include the MCU's cast, like actress Linda Cardellini.

Linda Cardellini made her MCU debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron playing Hawkeye's wife Laura Barton. She also briefly appeared in the chilling opening sequence of Avengers: Endgame, showing how Thanos' snap ripped through Clint's family. Fans are eager to see her return to the MCU, but Cardellini has no idea if/when she might appear again. As she put it,

Well, that was honest. It looks like Linda Cardellini would be happy to play Laura Barton again, but isn't sure if that's actually going to happen. After all, she hasn't been an especially big role in the MCU thus far, as the properties are usually focused on the superheroes that populate the shared universe.

Linda Cardellini's comments to Collider may disappoint some Marvel fans, who are hoping the Dead to Me actress would return to the MCU sooner rather than later. Moviegoers are eager to dive back into the comic book universe, and Cardellini would be down for a solo flick of their own. But she's a cog in a larger Marvel machine, which includes a very specific plan for storytelling.

Marvel fans can re-watch Linda Cardellini's time as Laura Barton on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.

While there's no indication as to when Laura Barton will be back on the big screen, fans are hoping she might pop up on our televisions thanks to Disney+. Jeremy Renner will have his own limited series as Hawkeye on the new streaming service, where the OG Avenger will be training his daughter to become a superhero. This seems like the obvious choice for Laura Barton to appear, although the show's casting hasn't been revealed.

The Hawkeye series was originally set to begin filming this fall, but it's currently unclear if those plans are still in action. TV and film sets around the world have been shut down due to global health issues, which may effect the timeline on the live-action series. There are a handful of other exciting MCU shows coming to Disney+ first, including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision and Loki.

The next installment in the MCU is Black Widow on November 6th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Spoilers below for Dead to Me Season 2, so be warned!

To be expected, the grief-filled Netflix dramedy Dead to Me featured quite a few emotional and hair-raising twists during its second season. But arguably the biggest surprise of all was the previously undisclosed guest star Katey Sagal, who was brought in to portray Judy's incarcerated mother Eleanor for the final pair of Season 2 installments. Sagal had previously played an outlaw mom in Sons of Anarchy, of course, but her appearances in Dead to Me definitely hearken back to her Married with Children days, where Christina Applegate was her TV daughter.

It was an important trip for Linda Cardellini's Judy to visit her mother, whose fate was previously a light mystery to Dead to Me fans. Katey Sagal's reveal was a spectacular one, obviously, though Judy and Eleanor weren't exactly on the same emotional wavelength. According to showrunner Liz Feldman, Judy's mother was added far earlier in the Season 2 writing process, and they were trying to find an actress who both had a passing resemblance to Cardellini and could also deliver a performance with equal parts comedy and grit.

Liz Feldman was apparently quite tickled whenever Katey Sagal's name came up in contention for the role of Judy's mom, considering the actress' long history with Dead to Me's star and executive producer Christina Applegate. Here's what Feldman told TVLine about the casting decision.

Christina Applegate and Katey Sagal starred on Married with Children together for eleven seasons, with the Fox sitcom ending in 1997. The actresses have remained close friends in the many years since, though they haven't often shared the screen again during that span. Unfortunately, they didn't get to appear in any scenes together in Dead to Me Season 2, either, but it was worth the sacrifice to see Sagal playing such a shifty and fairly unlikable character in the face of Judy's inherent brightness and optimism.

Have faith, though! Even though Judy appears to cut ties with Eleanor after her second prison visit, and even though Netflix hasn't officially made a decision about Dead to Me Season 3 yet, showrunner Liz Feldman is keeping the door open for the possibility that Katey Sagal and Christina Applegate could very well share a scene together in the show's future. In her words:

Judy's issues with Eleanor's abandonment came to the forefront during their scenes together, but let's not forget that Jen also shed some tear-filled light on her own mother's fate after her big confession to Perez. In fact, it was partially their bonding over missing mothers that convinced Perez to let Jen return to her life so that her own children wouldn't have to say goodbye to their own mom.

If Katey Sagal does cross paths with Jen in Season 3, I certainly hope Christina Applegate's character gets to put Eleanor in her place, as opposed to developing a relationship with her behind Judy's back. Obviously the latter approach would create the most drama, but Judy doesn't deserve all that!

Katey Sagal has been keeping busy as a recurring star on ABC's The Conners, and she has an in-development project going with Grey's Anatomy's showrunner Krista Vernoff, so it remains to be seen how much time the actress will have to take on roles in any other shows. Let us know in the comments what you hope will happen.

Dead to Me Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix, as is the acclaimed first season. For those in need of more to watch after that pulse-bounding binge, check out our rundown of Netflix's May standouts, and bookmark our Summer 2020 TV premiere schedule.

Major spoilers below for Netflix's Dead to Me Season 2, so beware!

Dead to Me was easily one of 2019's biggest breakout debuts on the small screen, with Netflix providing the perfect binge-friendly platform for the pulse-pounding murder-mystery fronted by esteemed TV vets Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini. Season 2 recently debuted and, to the surprise of no one, Applegate's Jen Harding and Cardellini's Judy Hale remained mired in stressful situations and shocking close calls. By the time the finale's credits started rolling, Dead to Me seemed to wrap up several major plotlines, only to punctuate everything with near-tragic TV irony.

So much happened in Dead to Me's final act that we need to break it all down to see where things left off for Jen, Judy, James Marsden's Ben and more, and how it would all play into Season 3 if Netflix makes the decision to renew it. (The biggest twist of all would be if the show gets cancelled after that jaw-dropping finale.) Let's start off with that oh-so-worrisome discovery.

Steve's Body Was Discovered

After spending the early chunk of Season 2 stored inside Jen's garage freezer (and was nearly chomped on by rats), Steve's body was later painstakingly transported out into the woods and buried by Jen and Judy. All was well on that front for a while, and it might have stayed that way if it wasn't for a meddling jogger and her bone-sniffing dog. Alas, the authorities located and dug the body up, offering the bleakest resolution for his family and "business" associates.

Unfortunately, few details about the finding were revealed, so it's not exactly clear whether or not evidence from Steve's corpse can directly tie Jen to the crime. There's bound to be at least ONE incriminating detail, though, right? Could that broken piece of Henry's bird still be wedged in Steve's head?

Judy Learned The Truth About Steve's Death

In a reversal of Judy confessing that she'd killed Jen's husband, Jen made the hard choice to tell Judy the truth about how Steve died; that his assault on Jen wasn't a physical one, but rather a verbal and emotional one. Having considered herself the cause of Steve's death, Judy was initially crushed and thrown for a loop that Jen had been lying for so long.

But as someone only too familiar with Steve's insults and anger, Judy was able to find it in her heart and head to forgive Jen without any of the completely justifiable histrionics that Jen reacted with in Season 1. And Judy's faith in Jen's redemption was strengthened by the latter's attempt to turn herself in. If Dead to Me reaches Season 3, it will be interesting to see how that relationship continues developing without at least one of them keeping murderous secrets.

Perez Apparently Let Jen Get Away With Steve's Murder

After one guilt-easing confession, Jen wrote emotionally charged letters to Judy, Charlie and Henry before arriving at the doorstep of Diana-Maria Riva's Detective Ana Perez in order to continue spreading the news about Steve's death. At any other moment, it might have landed her quickly in jail. However, Jen caught a grief-stricken Perez soon after her beloved ex Michelle packed up and moved out.

For what it's worth, Jen tried showing Perez where she buried the body (keeping Judy's name out of it), but failed to remember where it was located. But while driving back to town, the women bonded in part over the power of motherhood, having both lost their mothers while young. And after Nick Prager alerted her of the case blowing wide open concerning Steve's illegal operations, the detective made the unpredictable choice to avoid standard procedure by giving Jen a free pass. The big question, though, is whether or not that immunity will remain intact now that Steve's body was found, and whether or not Perez's choice will come back to haunt her in a potential Season 3.

Drunken Ben's Hit-And-Run By Jen's Stop Sign

Obviously, Dead to Me had to stun viewers with a monumental zinger in the end, and boy, did it. The increasingly fractured Ben, who'd already lost a lot of his optimistic verve after Jen's romantic dismissal, took an even deeper emotional dive after getting the news about Steve's body. Purposefully hiding the update from his mom (played by the great Frances Conroy), Ben hit the road with his new friend, a bottle of whiskey. Sadly, Ben plowed into the car Jen and Judy were driving, meant as a gift for Charlie, and proved himself no more morally stable than his brother by quickly driving away from the accident.

Both Judy and Jen were still alive when the episode cut out, so creator Liz Feldman gets credit for not leaving us with that kind of cliffhanger. But Jen is no doubt going to be very peeved in Season 3 when she grasps that the crash was partially due to the new stop sign that she'd fought so hard to get installed. Considering how many traffic and security cameras there are in the area, it's likely that Ben won't get away with his actions, but that's assuming he doesn't get into an even worse accident after fleeing the first one.

The Cops Having Steve's Phone May Be Bad News For Charlie

Fuckin' Charlie, man. The impulsive teenager nearly ruined everything for everyone by stealing Steve's car from storage to go on joyrides with a vindictive fling. While he miraculously escaped all of that without repercussions, Charlie wasn't done making dumb decisions. While still in possession of Steve's bag o' goodies from the car, Charlie used the phone to unwittingly call Jere Burns' Howard Hastings, which proved the police chief was in cahoots with Steve and the Greek mafia.

Charlie eventually did the "right" thing by giving the bag to Judy, who then took it to Prager at the police station. Obviously this was a smart move, since it was the wrap-around proof needed to posthumously nail Steve and others. However, as soon as they look into the info on Steve's phone, they'll discover Charlie's phone call (and possibly his fingerprints), thus prompting deeper questions into the situation for Season 3 that Judy probably won't be able to bullshit her way through.

No More Money Problems For Jen And Judy...For Now

As cool and interesting as Judy's "hole in the heart" art was from a visual perspective, the paintings were quite important for a far different reason. It turned out the canvases were used as storage for the huge piles of cash that Steve was dealing with. After finally getting her paintings back, Judy liberated all that money from those hiding spots. She not only shared the lucrative AF news with Jen, but the money as well, which was used to pay off Jen's house with her mother-in-law Lorna. Not to mention the car they got for Charlie.

While the money situation could possibly be a non-starter issue for Dead to Me Season 3, it's more likely that someone dangerous will come looking for all those stacks of cash, whether it's the increasingly suspicious Prager or someone directly involved with the Greek mafia. Considering so much of it is already gone, Judy would need to stumble across another dramatic payday to make up for the lost funds.

Charlie Found Jen's Letters

Even after the car debacle, Charlie once again set himself to get nominated as Most Frustrating Teen Snoop of the year in the finale. Though he was only attempting to mooch a joint from Judy's not-so-secret stash, Charlie happened upon the letters that Jen wrote before attempting to turn herself in. It wasn't clear whether she kept them as a reminder of the turmoil, or if she wanted blackmail-esque collateral in the case of her and Jen's friendship imploding in Season 3.

Regardless of why the letters were kept, Charlie found them. It would be nice and respectful if he put them (and the weed) back in Judy's cigar box, of course, but that's just not the way Charlie is wired. Chances are, he's going to read all three and learn some very disturbing truths about both his mom and Judy, whom Charlie was never too keen about in the first place.

Judy Already Cut Ties From Her Mom Again

Dead to Me's penultimate Season 2 episode set up the surprising reunion between Judy and her mother Eleanor, whose existence was a big mystery for viewers prior to that. As portrayed by Sons of Anarchy and The Conners vet Katey Sagal in a surprise guest role, Eleanor was living not-her-best life behind bars, and it clearly wasn't her first rodeo. Eleanor lightly preyed on her daughter's vulnerability, and Judy nearly became convinced that she would free herself from immoral burdens by joining her mom in jail.

Of course, by their second meeting, Judy had learned about what really happened to Steve, and she could more clearly recognize her mother's selfish machinations. Though she now had the money to help Eleanor find solid legal representation, Judy didn't offer it, and also refused to pen a letter of recommendation. She left her mother stranded in a way similar to how Eleanor left Judy behind as a child, and felt all the better for it. This storyline may not continue in a third season, but I'd love to see Katey Sagal return to cause chaos in Judy's life in the outside world.

Dead to Me Seasons 1-2 can be streamed right now on Netflix. Stay tuned for more updates about a potential Season 3, and keep your fingers crossed in the meantime. While waiting to hear more, check out our Summer 2020 TV schedule for more awesome shows on the way.

Spoilers ahead from Netflix's Dead to Me Season 1.

Who else is ready for more heavy metal rage with Jen (Christina Applegate) and Judy (Linda Cardellini) in Dead to Me Season 2? The Netflix series is now filming for a release at some point in 2020. Jen and Judy had quite a dramatic first season -- as strangers turned best friends turned enemies turned back to allies/accessories to dead Steve (James Marsden) floating in the pool.

Linda Cardellini shared a photo from the Dead to Me Season 2 table read, showing her holding hands with Christina Applegate, Thelma & Louise-style (without driving off a cliff together, I hope):

Dead to Me creator Liz Feldman shared a photo from the set of Season 2, quipping, "these ladies are killing it!!"

And once again I am obsessed with Judy's wardrobe. Dead to Me Season 2 will be worth it just to see what she wears each episode.

Dead to Me Season 1 ended in a different way than Liz Feldman originally envisioned. It remains to be seen if Dead to Me ever shows what she previously planned. Instead, Jen apparently shot Steve and now he's floating dead in her pool. But at least we also got Judy and Jen on the same page, which was not the case for most of the 10 episodes of Season 1.

Christina Applegate earned a 2019 Emmy Awards nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series as Jen, a real estate agent and mom mourning the death of her husband Ted, who was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver. Linda Cardellini's Judy was the one who accidentally killed Ted, but Jen didn't know that for most of the first season. The two ladies met up and became friends through a grief support group. Ultimately, many truths came out about Judy, Ted, Steve, Jen, and the rest of the supporting characters.

Dead to Me's Liz Feldman said Netflix was mostly wonderful about the show, but she got pissed at a note suggesting the character of Jen be less angry to make her more likable. Here's part of her response to that idea:

Aha! So we know Jen will not exactly soften in Dead to Me Season 2. Good. I also like that Jen and Judy no longer have major secrets from each other, although they are keeping secrets from just about everyone else. Having them conspiring on the same side should make Season 2 a lot of fun.

The 10 episodes of Dead to Me Season 1 arrived on Netflix in May 2019 and can be streamed right now. Netflix doesn't always talk about how many viewers it gets, but the streamer did say Dead to Me was viewed by 30 million subscribers in its first month. According to THR, Netflix considers a "view" to be an account watching at least 70 percent of an episode or film.

Stay tuned for a date announcement and teaser/trailer for Dead to Me Season 2. Here are the dates we know about for upcoming Netflix originals. Keep up with everything still to come on TV this year with our handy 2019 fall TV premiere schedule.

The stars and creator of Netflix's recent headline-grabber Dead to Me have something considerable to celebrate. Their freshman series has gotten renewed for Season 2, so it's not dead to anyone!

Jen on the darkly comedic thriller, is excited to be doing another season. The news comes roughly a month after the series made its debut on the streaming giant. (Lucifer’s showrunners previously revealed that's the time window Netflix usually allows for when deciding on a rewnewal.) Applegate shared her reaction on Twitter, which expresses her affection for co-star Linda Cardellini. Check it out below:

Linda Cardellini tweeted back, “I love you!” along with some feel-good emojis. Christina Applegate didn't even mention the show or its Netflix renewal, but everybody knew what the deal was.

Cardellini also quoted Netflix’s tweet announcing the news in her own post, adding some full-blown confetti cannons. You can see it here:

They have a lot to celebrate. After debuting last month on Netflix, the pre-summer TV release quickly caused a buzz among viewers who heavily praised the two actresses for anchoring the genre-bending and plot-twisting series.

Linda Cardellini and Christina Applegate were joined in their celebratory tweets with two from Dead to Me’s creator. Liz Feldman shared the news and a window for Season 2’s release date. Check it out:

That tweet should assuage the fear that Dead to Me fans would have to wait two years to find out what happens next for Jen and Judy. Season 1 ended on a massive cliffhanger, after all, and Liz Feldman also sent out a promising tease in another tweet.

Cannot wait to show you what we’ve got brewing...

It turns out that the first season was not initially supposed to end the way that it did. Liz Feldman revealed that factoid in a recent interview, admitting that she did not want to divulge the original ending because it could still get used. Had Netflix not renewed the series for a second season, it would have meant leaving the show in a significant lurch.

Could that original ending for Season 1 come into play? Dead to Me fans will have to wait until 2020 to find out for sure. That is not too painful of a wait. Before you know it, Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini will be back in action.

It is lovely that the actress duo is so close in real-life, considering what they go through together on the show. Dead to Me centers around the pair playing characters who meet in a support group and become unlikely friends. When Season 1 begins, Christina Applegate’s Jen has lost her husband in a hit-and-run murder. She is in hot pursuit of finding his killer.

At the same time, Linda Cardellini’s Judy is keeping a secret that could undermine everything she is building with Jen. Throughout Season 1, Jen and Judy’s burgeoning friendship is threatened by the potential emergence of the latter’s secret. Season 1 ended with a shocking climax, which means its follow-up could go a number of ways.

One celebrity fan who will be excited by this renewal news is Ellen DeGeneres. The host of The Ellen Show, where Liz Feldman worked for a number of years, shared her love for the dramedy on Twitter:

Christina Applegate has since replied with "Thank you sweet, wonderful lady!! Love you!!!" Imagine how excited Ellen DeGeneres has to be about Season 2.

There will be more to celebrate when an exact premiere date for Dead to Me Season 2 gets revealed. For now, the general aim of a 2020 release will have to suffice. The first season of Dead to Me is currently streaming on Netflix, along with other upcoming TV premieres. There is more to come in June.

With the advancement of CG technology in recent years, actors playing off tennis balls and green screens has become common place on movie sets. As one can imagine, acting terrified at the sight of ominous neon green figures asks a lot of one’s imagination. Thankfully for the cast of The Curse of La Llorona had Mexican folklore’s “Weeping Woman” to star into the eyes of during the making of the horror film.

CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell sat down with some of the cast during SXSW, where The Curse of La Llorona had its world premiere during the film festival’s closing weekend. During the interview, the film’s star Linda Cardellini gushed about the physical presence of the evil spirit on set with these words:

The titular La Llorona (played by Marisol Ramirez) is an apparition caught between Heaven and Hell, who drowned her own children in rage and now preys to replace them with the kids of Cardellini’s character. The actress shared the difference it made for her to have Ramirez playing the evil presence, especially with the terrifying makeup La Llorona dons in the film.

In the interview, Cardellini also commented on the actress' accessibility off camera, due to her charming personality on set. This especially came in handy when it came time for the kids on set to play opposite La Llorona. Although her appearance was one of an evil spirit, because she was so great with the kids on set, they were able to do their job without actually getting scared out of their wits of the actress.

The Curse of La Llorona director Michael Chaves pitched in, explaining how no amount of CG can replicate the kind of performance Marisol Ramirez gave as the apparition. Here’s what he said:

While it looks like having the actress on set was an overall positive experience for cast and crew of The Curse of La Llorona, actress Patricia Velasquez admitted having a co-worker with her creepy makeup makes for some off putting breaks. In her words:

Can’t blame her, La Llorona looks terrifying! Check out the cast interview below:

The new horror release belongs between the two Conjuring movies in the universe’s timeline though it’s the first spin-off to not be based on the findings of demonologist couple Ed and Lorraine Warren. Will you be braving The Curse of La Llorona this weekend? Let us know in the comments.

Horror films may not have insane stunts like people jumping across rooftops or the intense fight choreography you might find in many blockbuster action movies, but that doesn’t mean that they’re a breeze to make. On the contrary, horror films like this weekend’s Conjuring Universe title The Curse of La Llorona can be downright exhausting to film. In an exclusive interview with CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell at SXSW, The Curse of La Llorona’s star Linda Cardellini explained why making it was so tiring:

Linda Cardellini brings up a great point about shooting at night. Long days of filming often require actors and crew to arrive when it’s still dark out and leave long after the sun has set, but horror movies like The Curse of La Llorona need to actually film certain scenes in the dark. The need to shoot those outdoor night scenes shifts around the working hours and messes with your sleep schedule, making them an exhausting part of horror films.

There is also the fact that horror films often require intense performances out of actors who are playing characters that are in fear for their lives. That’s an emotionally draining experience. Not to mention that screaming and running from supernatural threats takes a lot out of them. And by the time they're done, actors can end up completely exhausted.

The Curse of La Llorona was Linda Cardellini’s first film like this too; the Scooby-Doo movies aren't quite the same kind of horror experience. So even as a veteran actress with tons of film and TV credits to her name, she was still unprepared for the level of exhaustion that was in store for her making this Conjuring Universe movie.

The cast didn’t really get to ease into things either by saving the more intense and exhausting scenes for later in the shoot. As The Curse of La Llorona’s director Michael Chaves told CinemaBlend:

The Curse of La Llorona is Michael Chaves’ first feature film. And although he might have expected a more measured pace, what he wound up with was a breakneck one. It sounds like there were no easy days with everyday involving some challenge that resulted in an exhausting filming experience. Fortunately, Michael Chaves was prepared for this kind of sprint because of his previous work commercial work.

You can check out Sean O'Connell discussing the filming experience with the cast and director of The Curse of La Llorona below.

The Curse of La Llorona, which looks terrifying, tells the story of an apparition, the Weeping Woman, stalking the children of 1973 Los Angeles. Linda Cardellini's social worker and her kids are drawn into the supernatural realm and must try and escape the wrath of this evil spirit. This is the sixth film in the Conjuring Universe and is the first feature film for Michael Chaves who will follow La Llorona up with The Conjuring 3.

The Curse of La Llorona opens in theaters this Friday, April 19. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the movies you need to see as we approach the jam-packed summer movie season.

As Warner Bros.’ The Curse of La Llorona works its way to theaters this weekend, fans of The Conjuring universe will be scouring the backgrounds of scene looking for references and Easter Eggs to the larger story at hand. (And they are there, trust us.) But while paying attention to the background details in director Michael Chaves’ horror-thriller, we spotted a different reference that made us laugh, and we had to ask the cast about it.

The Curse of La Llorona takes place in the 1970s, where a social worker (Linda Cardellini) who is concerned about the welfare of some small children begins to investigate the mother’s claims that they are haunted by La Llorona. More on that myth in a moment, but in the background of a scene, kids are watching Scooby-Doo on a TV set. Makes sense. The animated show was huge in the 1970s. But there’s also a subtle gag there in that Linda Cardellini also played Velma in two live-action Scooby-Doo movies, and she told us it was her idea to get that animated reference in. She tells CinemaBlend:

These self-aware nods are hilarious to film lovers. Going into the movie, it’s fun to know that Linda Cardellini established her range on a popular family comedy like Scooby-Doo before switching gears, time and again, to show exactly what she is capable of as an actress. Sure she played Velma. But since then, Cardellini has impressed critics and crowds with roles in Brokeback Mountain, E.R., Mad Men, the Avengers movies, and most recently on the Netflix drama Bloodline.

As she elaborated in the Scooby-Doo nod, she explained how that movie helped her switch gears and challenger herself as an actress. Cardellini told us:

Audiences will see a new side of Linda Cardellini in The Curse of La Llorona, as she plays a caring social worker who gets pulled into a terrifying mystery. She also, as a result, has to protect her own children from the threat of La Llorona, and Cardellini displays a ferocious Mama Bear side that we hadn’t seen from her before. Here she is discussing the movie, and Scooby-Doo:

Check out The Curse of La Llorona when it hits theater screens starting this Thursday.

Very mild spoilers ahead from The Curse of La Llorona.

The Curse of La Llorona hasn't been heavily promoted as a Conjuring movie, but it is quietly haunting The Conjuring Universe as the sixth entry in the series. The horror film marks the directorial debut of Michael Chaves, whose follow-up film is The Conjuring 3, which comes out in 2020.

The Curse of La Llorona recently screened at South by Southwest, confirming how the movie connects to the Conjuring universe. The movie is set in Los Angeles in 1973, and has the connective tissue of Father Perez (Tony Amendola), who returns to the story from Annabelle. In this film, Father Perez talks to Anna Garcia (Linda Cardellini) about his evil doll case, and the doll is flashed on screen to further drive home the connection (per Bloody Disgusting).

The 2014 Annabelle movie was also set in Southern California, with the story in 1967. The Conjuring, which came out in 2013, was set in 1971. The Conjuring 2 was set in 1976 and 1977. So The Curse of La Llorona appears to fit into the timeline between between the first two Conjuring movies, just a few years after Father Perez's experience in Annabelle.

Since The Curse of La Llorona just screened, critics and fans have been sharing their early thoughts online. CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell felt the film compared poorly to previous Conjuring movies, although he had fond words for Linda Cardellini:

Perri Nemiroff of Collider also had some measured praise, calling it a solid start for future Conjuring 3 director Michael Chaves:

Erik Davis of Fandango had a much simpler warning about the movie -- it may leave you afraid to visit your own attic:

The Curse of La Llorona was produced by James Wan, who directed the first two Conjuring films before passing the reins to Michael Chaves for the upcoming third movie. This is the sixth film in The Conjuring Universe after The Conjuring, Annabelle, The Conjuring 2, Annabelle: Creation, and The Nun. It precedes Annabelle 3, aka Annabelle Comes Home, which just announced its title and June 28, 2019 release date. The Conjuring 3 is reportedly scheduled for September 11, 2020. The Crooked Man should be following them at some point, but there's no set date right now.

The Curse of La Llorona opens in theaters on April 19, yep one week before Avengers: Endgame. Pray for it. The horror movie is just one of the many films releasing in theaters in 2019.

Long before he became the shepherd of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn earned a paycheck -- a significant paycheck -- as the writer of a live-action take on the animated classic, Scooby-Doo. On the fifteenth anniversary of that comedy's release, Gunn took to Facebook and posted a nostalgic memory-lane jog that revealed all sorts of fascinating trivia, none more eye-popping than the fact that the MPAA gave his first pass on Scooby-Doo, a family-friendly film, an R rating. Gunn explained:

This actually calls to mind the very funny Scooby-Doo spoof that Kevin Smith worked into his own Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, where his beloved stoner duo gets picked up by obvious Scooby stand ins. And bad language was allowed:

More than anything, I'd be itching to get my hands on James Gunn's original draft of an edgier, potentially R-rated Scooby-Doo. The finished product starred real-life couple Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar, as well as Matthew Lillard as Shaggy and Bloodline phenom Linda Cardellini as Velma. Scooby was a CGI creation, and the movie -- as well as its sequel -- were sweet and goofy and definitely aimed at kids. At the same time, this clip from the 2002 movie seemed to suggest that SOME cleavage still made the cut:

This ended up being a win-win for both parties. The Scooby-Doo movies made money (though the first was far better than the sequel), and as James Gunn points out in his Facebook memory, he made friendships that lasted a lifetime:

And he got the Guardians of the Galaxy, which also got a sequel. Like I said. Win win.

There isn't a day that goes by that one small part of my brain fails to wish for a hidden cache to be found containing never-seen-before episodes of Freaks and Geeks, even though none of the cast or crew has ever hinted at more episodes existing. Well, that hasn't happened yet, but star John Francis Daley dropped a handful of behind-the-scenes photos from the show that I've probably never seen before, and now I just want to start mourning this show's 16-year-old cancellation all over again. Check them out!

The best of the bunch, as far as the heartstrings are concerned, is the shot of John Francis Daley laying across the lap of his TV sibling Linda Cardellini. Lindsay and Sam Weir didn't always get along, with their close ages conflicting with their wildly different interests (at least as far as Lindsay's rebel year went), but they remain one of the best brother/sister combinations in TV. I like to think that they, along with Wonder Years siblings Kevin and Karen, would be fantastic friends in adulthood. (Unlike Cardellini's current fictional family situation on Netflix's Bloodline.)

Then we have the shot of bow-legged Daley going all freak-out in the middle of William McKinley High, as co-star Jason Segel looks on amused in the background. Both of these guys look almost cartoonishly young here, especially for anyone who watched the actors go through adulthood on TV - Daley on Bones and Segel on How I Met Your Mother. Fun fact: that is exactly the pose and scream-face I'd make if the impossible-to-accomplish Freaks and Geeks Season 2 ever got announced. (I think they could do it like Wet Hot American Summer did for their Netflix series and just pretend they're all young again.)

And I'll end with the lovely on-set shot of not-yet-wildly-famous Judd Apatow talking with the show's titular geeks: Daley, Samm Levine and Martin Starr. It's unreal how much Hollywood influence and talent is in this shot, given how big their careers have gotten. In fact, when putting the Vacation reboot together, John Francis Daley had the plan to include Levine and Starr for an onscreen reunion, but it ended up falling through. One day...

Daley shared the photos on his Twitter page, crediting Freaks and Geeks writer Gabe Sachs with taking the photos. Let's all give Sachs a big round of applause right now for giving us a mental trip back to the lovely past of the 1980s in 2000. He's the creator of the current medical drama Night Shift, which will air the second part of its two-part Season 3 finale on Wednesday, August 31.

So while these images don't completely heal our woes, they do offer us the inspiration to go back and watch its 18-episode entirety (which can be found on Netflix). Sing with me: "I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation!"

While the world of animated movies has fully embraced movie stars taking over the majority of the roles, TV animation still adheres to voice actors that you probably wouldn't recognize if you saw them on the street. But of course there are exceptions, considering how populated the cartoon landscape is these days. We've rounded up 10 actors and actresses whose work behind a microphone is just as good as, if not sometimes better than, their live-action performances. Note that this is by no means an exhaustive list.

Mark Hamill

Live Action Projects: Star Wars, The Flash, Kingsman: The Secret Service

Animated Projects: Batman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man, Regular Show

Why He/She’s So Awesome: Despite a strong early career in TV, Star Wars completely shifted how the world saw Mark Hamill, and he tried escaping that typecasting through live-action in the 1980s and early 1990s. But once he blew people’s minds as the Clown Prince of Crime, he never really looked back, voicing dozens upon dozens of various characters in the past 20 years, from children’s shows like Miles from Tomorrowland to more adult fare like Metalocalypse, even re-voicing his most famous roles for Robot Chicken.

Will Forte

Live Action Projects: Saturday Night Live, MacGruber, The Last Man on Earth

Animated Projects: Clone High, Sit Down, Shut Up, The Cleveland Show

Why He/She’s So Awesome: Will Forte is the ultimate everyman who presumably has dark forces happening beneath the surface, and his characters often showcase that. He made Clone High’s Abe Lincoln the epitome of love-torn teen angst, and continues delivering winning performances in shows such as Gravity Falls, Bob’s Burgers, and American Dad. Plus, he’s actually in The Awesomes, so that should explain it.

Aisha Tyler

Live Action Projects: Friends, 24, Ghost Whisperer

Animated Projects: Archer, The Boondocks, BoJack Horseman

Why He/She’s So Awesome: Aisha Tyler is a hilarious stand-up comic, a stellar talk show host, and a great actress in general. But she is as perfect as Lana Kane in Archer as H. Jon Benjamin is in the title role. So good, in fact, that I’d initially assumed that I must have heard her voicework in many other shows. But no, I haven’t, although I certainly hope that her multi-hyphenate career allows for more voice roles in the future.

Stephen Root

Live Action Projects: Office Space, NewsRadio, Justified

Animated Projects: King of the Hill, Adventure Time, Tripping the Rift

Why He/She’s So Awesome: I’m one of those people who thinks Bill was the most interesting character on King of the Hill, and so much of that came from Root’s “simple but not stupid” performance. Add to that his work as the Penguin on Batman: The Brave and the Bold, as Mildew on Dreamworks Dragons and as various characters on a growing list of recent animated series, and Root is slowly becoming just as important out of sight as he is on screen.

Kristen Schaal

Live Action Projects: Flight of the Conchords, The Last Man on Earth, 30 Rock

Animated Projects: Bob’s Burgers, BoJack Horseman, Gravity Falls

Why He/She’s So Awesome: One of comedy’s quirkier stand-up comics, Kristen Schaal has done so well with her work as the scrappy quasi-anarchist Louise on Bob’s Burgers that it’s almost impossible to see or hear her in anything else without wondering where her rabbit ears are. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Phil LaMarr

Live Action Projects: MADtv, Pulp Fiction, Old Dogs

Animated Projects: Futurama, Samurai Jack, Family Guy

Why He/She’s So Awesome: It’s surprising that Phil LaMarr hasn’t done more live-action work over the years, given his excellent timing and character range. Though Futurama’s Hermes and Family Guy’s Ollie Williams are his most recognizable roles, LaMarr has been everyone from Dracula in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy to Green Lantern in Justice League to Black Vulcan in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.

Hank Azaria

Live Action Projects: Huff, The Birdcage, Ray Donovan

Animated Projects: The Simpsons, Spider-Man, Family Guy

Why He/She’s So Awesome: Come on, it’s Hank freaking Azaria. Not even accounting for his always-enjoyable work on screens both big and small – Mystery Men for life – the ridiculously grand resume he’s accumulated with just Simpsons characters is enough to vault him into a pop culture hall of fame. Disco Stu, Duffman, Carl Carlson, Professor Frink, Apu, Chief Wiggum, Cletus, Moe. The list goes on.

Linda Cardellini

Live Action Projects: Freaks and Geeks, Bloodline, ER

Animated Projects: Regular Show, Sanjay & Craig, Out There

Why He/She’s So Awesome: It’s relatively impossible to nail down what kind of an actress Linda Cardellini is, as she can flip from heavily dramatic to truly ridiculous roles. The latter of which perfectly sums up her work as the emotionally fraught cloud-girl C.J. on Regular Show, the hyper-overachieving Megan Sparkles on Sanjay & Craig. and the laidback teen Wendy on Gravity Falls.

Seth Green

Live Action Projects: Austin Powers, Idle Hands, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Animated Projects: Family Guy, Robot Chicken, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Why He/She’s So Awesome: Green is one of the rare child stars who not only didn’t implode, but managed to carve out a niche spot in the industry with the hilarious and absurd stop-motion animation of Robot Chicken and its Star Wars offshoots, where you can hear dozens of characters that sound pretty much like Family Guy’s Chris Griffin. He’s branched out from the adult humor as well, voicing Leonardo on Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and A-Bomb on Disney XD’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.

Phil Hartman

Live Action Projects: NewsRadio, Saturday Night Live, Jingle All the Way

Animated Projects: The Simpsons, Dennis the Menace, Ren and Stimpy

Why He/She’s So Awesome: Phil Hartman was the consummate comedian, excellent in everything he starred in, even when it was hot garbage like Houseguest. His tragic death in 1998 meant that myriad potential future projects would never be, and the world would never again get to hear from The Simpsons lawyer Lionel Hutz or the hasbeen actor Troy McClure.

Joss Whedon's The Avengers: Age of Ultron has one of the most impressive principal ensembles we've ever seen, but apparently we've spent months not actually knowing the full extent of the roster. This is because both Julie Delpy (Before Midnight) and Linda Cardellini (Bloodline, Scooby Doo) have parts in the blockbuster, as has confirmed on a tip sheet for the feature's upcoming Los Angeles premiere. But what remains a total mystery is exactly who they might be playing in the movie.

Given how late in the game the two actresses are entering into the bigger picture of Avengers 2, it's not hard to imagine that the extent of their parts in the film will be somewhat limited, but what's unknown and potentially exciting is the possible impact their roles could have on the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

If we're really dreaming big, it's possible that either Julie Delpy or Linda Cardellini could be be introduced as the MCU's Carol Danvers - better known to comic book fans as Captain Marvel. It's true that recent reports have suggested that the character isn't in the movie, but what if those sources were wrong? Captain Marvel has her own movie coming in 2018, and it wouldn't be all that shocking if The Avengers: Age of Ultron is used as a platform for her launch.

A more middle ground but still potentially very exciting possibility is that the two actresses could be playing roles not too dissimilar to what Andy Serkis is doing in the movie. He will be playing Ulysses Klaw in the movie, and while Serkis has confirmed that it's a very small part in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, it's very possible that he could wind up being the central villain of the upcoming Black Panther film. For example, I wonder if it's not impossible that one of the two actresses could wind up playing The Enchantress, who may be set up for a bigger role in Thor: Ragnarok.

The least exciting possibility is that both Julie Delpy and Linda Cardellini are in the movie largely in cameo capacities. The first Avengers had known actors like Powers Boothe and Harry Dean Stanton playing supporting roles within the movie's narrative, and Delpy and Cardellini could wind up having similar-sized roles in The Age of Ultron. Basically, they may be in the film for half a moment and be fun to spot, but ultimately may not have a larger presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Who do you think Julie Delpy and Linda Cardellini might play in The Avengers: Age of Ultron? There are obviously a ton of possibilities and factors to consider - including the fact that Cardellini has had the opportunity to work with Guardians of the Galaxy/Guardians of the Galaxy 2 director James Gunn multiple times in the past - but it's still fun to speculate. Hit the comments with your thoughts!

In the past, Bill Murray has been very vocal about his complete disinterest in reprising his role as Peter Venkman in Paul Feig's upcoming Ghostbusters 3, but his attitude regarding the project as a whole seems to have softened in recent days. Asked about the reports of an all female cast in the movie. the actor gave a blessing of sorts to the project, saying, "It’s a grand idea, I don’t know who they’re talking about, but it’s a good idea." Obviously it doesn't sound like he has any kind of an inside track on the production, but that doesn't mean it isn't still interesting to hear who he would actually want to see in the movie.

Murray has recently been up at the Toronto International Film Festival promoting his new film St. Vincent, but while doing some interviews the Toronto Star was able to pick up some interesting actress suggestions from the legendary comedic actor for Ghostbusters 3:

Melissa McCarthy

Murray's first suggestion was a rather natural one: Melissa McCarthy. In addition to the fact that the two actors star together in St. Vincent, the Tammy star also worked with director Paul Feig on his last two films: Bridesmaids and The Heat.

Kristen Wiig

Making another natural jump from Melissa McCarthy, Murray's second suggestion was Kristen Wiig, who co-starred with McCarthy in Bridesmaids, and therefore has the exact same Paul Feig connection.

Linda Cardellini

The third suggestion is an interesting one, mostly because it's hard to tell if Murray knows exactly how interesting a suggestion it is. Continuing to list names, the Stripes star pitched Linda Cardellini, saying "I like this girl Linda Cardellini a lot." What makes this a fitting choice is that Cardellini is yet again another talented actress with whom Paul Feig has worked with as a lead: she was the star of his short-lived dramedy series Freaks & Geeks.

Emma Stone

Emma Stone was the only actress suggested by Bill Murray who hasn't previously worked with Paul Feig, but what she lacks in that department she may make up in the fact that she's worked with Murray before. Many of you will remember a memorable sequence featuring the two performers in the movie Zombieland - where they actually played out a scene from Ghostbusters - but they also both recently signed on to work with Cameron Crowe for his upcoming untitled comedy.

What do you think of these suggestions? Let us know by speaking your mind and making your own pitches in the comments below.