As always, there were some cast exits in the off-season; longtime fans won’t see staples including Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim and more when the sketch comedy returns. But, there are some new “SNL” cast members too.

Here’s what you need to know headed into Saturday night.

When does season 51 premiere?

New episodes of “SNL” begin on Saturday, October 4 at 11:30 p.m. ET.

Who’s hosting?

So far, “SNL” has set three hosts for the season. Bad Bunny will kick things off, followed by some fan favorites. Here’s how it breaks down:

• Oct. 4 (premiere): Bad Bunny hosts, Doja Cat musical guest
• Oct. 11: Amy Poehler hosts, Role Model musical guest
• Oct. 18: Sabrina Carpenter hosts and serves as the musical guest

Who left the cast ahead of season 51?

Along with Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim, Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow and Emil Wakim all exited the sketch series.

The show also split up Please Don’t Destroy, who had largely filled the place of Lonely Island for a few years. Ben Marshall was upped to featured player for season 51, with Martin Herlihy staying on the writing staff. Meanwhile, John Higgins exited the show entirely to pursue acting projects.

Who are the new “SNL” cast members?

Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson and Veronica Slowikowksa join Marshall as this season’s new featured players.

Brennan, who is from Saint Paul, Minnesota, was selected as a Just for Laughs New Face of Comedy in 2023 and has appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

Likewise, Culhane is best known for his viral TikTok videos, and also appears as a regular on Dropout TV and performs with the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles.

Patterson is a regular on live comedy podcast “Kill Tony” and can be seen on Netflix’s “72 Hours,” while Slowikowska is known for her comedy content on Instagram and TikTok and has appeared in Netflix’s “Tires” and FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows.”

Is ‘SNL’ streaming?

Yes, ”Saturday Night Live” streams new episodes live on Peacock. Episodes are then available to watch on demand on the streaming service.

The post Is ‘SNL’ New Tonight? Here’s Who’s Hosting the Next Episode appeared first on TheWrap.

The Netflix series puts the spotlight on one infamous figure from the war – Ilse Koch. The woman performed a number of heinous acts on the prisoners of Buchenwald – including reportedly using the skin of those with tattoos to bind books and make lamp shades which led to Gein doing the same years later in Wisconsin.

Koch’s horrific acts earned her the nickname The Bitch of Buchenwald, and here is how the two were connected and what else she did that served as a catalyst to Gein.

Who is Ilse Koch?

Koch was a Nazi who was active during World War II. She was married to Karl-Otto Koch who was the commandant of the Buchenwald concentration camp. Her treatment of the prisoners of the camp earned her the nickname The Bitch of Buchenwald.

What did she do?

Koch tortured and flayed a number of Buchenwald’s prisoners. She reportedly had a number of tattooed prisoners skinned and used to bind books and to cover lampshades. She also implemented the camp’s prisoners as slave labor to work around her estate and build her an indoor riding arena for her personal use. A number of prisoners died during the forced labor required behind the project.

Koch committed suicide in prison in 1967. A note to her son reportedly read: “I cannot do otherwise. Death is the only deliverance.”

How was she connected to Ed Gein?

Koch is not technically connected at all to Ed Gein. But Gein read about the atrocities put through at the various concentration camps during World War II and became obsessed. In particular, Gein was drawn to Koch and the stories of her using human skin to make a variety of household items – most infamously lampshades.

Many point to his early exposure to the pulp magazine writing about Koch, Buchenwald and other WWII horrors were some of the first catalysts that pushed him toward his future crimes.

The post ‘Monster’: The Real History Behind Ilse Koch, The Nazi Featured in Netflix’s Ed Gein Series appeared first on TheWrap.

Gein has been a major inspiration for a number of major films and TV shows. The infamous killer was known for graverobbing from cemeteries and using the skin from the bodies to make suits, masks, lampshades and more. Those horrific acts were bound to draw Hollywood’s eye eventually.

Below are 5 horror films and TV shows that were inspired by Gein and his dark deeds.

The Silence of the Lambs

Ed Gein served as the primary inspiration for Buffalo Bill in “The Silence of the Lambs.” Buffalo Bill is as close to a one-to-one comp that you could get without just making the character the real person. From the skin lamps to the flesh suits, Gein’s inspiration is all over the film, which helped ignite new interest in the real killer.

Psycho

Ed Gein and his mother had a problematic relationship that was famously reflected in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” Gein both feared and loved his mom, and it was after her death that he began to fashion his “mother suit” from the bodies he exhumed from graveyards. Norman Bates also struggled with his feelings toward his mother, which led to his own killings in the film.

Likewise, both Gein’s home and the infamous Bates Motel became horror houses of sorts for how the real and fictional men stored and hid their crimes.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” director Tobe Hooper was directly inspired by Ed Gein and his crimes. With a villain called Leatherface, some of that inspiration is pretty obvious. Gein made skin suits and masks from the bodies he exhumed from graveyards and Leatherface also wears the skin of his victims as masks.

Gein might not have used a chainsaw on those he killed, but he did hang bodies he acquired on hooks, much like Leatherface does in the various “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” films.

Deranged

“Deranged” has all the usual inspirations for a film loosely based on Ed Gein – a man overly obsessed with his mother who falls to killing and grave robbing in the wake of her death. The skin suits follow, the lamp shades and jars of nipples are there. But what “Deranged” gets better than many others is the sense of place.

Gein killed in Wisconsin and lived in a rural, out-of-the-way home that added to the creepy appeal of a home full of skin suits. “Deranged” nails that unsettling feeling.

American Horror Story: Asylum

There could have been lots of ways “American Horror Story” could have adapted an Ed Gein storyline into the series. The opportunity presented itself in “American Horror Story: Asylum” through Zachary Quinto’s character Dr. Oliver Thredson.

Thredson blends two ends of “The Silence of the Lambs” in both Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill – and by proxy Ed Gein. The doctor is a psychiatrist like Lecter was in the books and films, but moonlights as a sadistic monster who makes skin suits, masks and objects like Gein/Buffalo Bill.

The post 5 Horror Movies and Shows Inspired by Ed Gein appeared first on TheWrap.

George and Augusta Gein were the parents of two children, Henry and Edward. In a Time article from 1957, Augusta was described as “domineering” and deeply religious. She was particularly obsessed with promiscuity and would rebuke women who had sex outside of wedlock as well as her sons’ interest in women. It was well known that Ed was her favorite son, and many recounted that he was fiercely devoted to his mother. As for his father, George was known to be a violent alcoholic who would take his aggression out on his sons. The four member family lived on the Gein family farm, a frame house with no electricity or plumbing in Plainville.

George Gein was the first member of the small Wisconsin family to die. In 1940 he died of heart failure at the age of 66. Four years later, Henry followed. A marsh fire on the property got out of control. When the flames died down, Henry’s body was found, and he was declared a casualty in the fire. However, Henry’s official cause of death was asphyxiation, and he had bruises on his head and no burn marks. Even more suspicious, Ed seemed to know exactly where to find his brother’s body.

Soon after Henry’s death Augusta had a paralyzing stroke, which required Ed to become his mother’s caretaker. She died in December of 1945 after her second stroke, which reportedly happened while she was calling a woman living with a neighbor a harlot. That’s when Ed Gein started to mentally unravel.

Gein committed his crimes, which included murdering Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden as well as exhuming at least nine graves, in the years after his mother’s death. He targeted older women who were roughly his late mother’s age and made objects like lampshades and a wastebasket out of their skin. Gein later said he was trying to make a suit made of women’s skin that he could wear himself.

Psychiatrists at the time pointed to Augusta Gein’s frequent and religiously motivated denouncements of female promiscuity as a major reason for Gein’s crimes. They said Gein grappled with both a deep love and secret hatred of his mother as well as a deep hatred and secret hatred of other women. That coupled with his mental instability led to these history-making crimes. Psychiatrists also said that cutting up the bodies of women who reminded him of his mother let Gein fulfill two contradictory urges: destroying his mother and attempting to bring her back to life.

Ultimately, Gein’s complicated relationship with Augusta came to inspire one of the most seminal works in horror history: Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” Though Hitchcock’s Oscar-nominated movie was an adaptation of Robert Bloch’s 1959 suspense novel of the same name, Bloch’s work was inspired by the Gein case.

The post ‘Monster’ on Netflix: What Was Ed Gein’s Relationship With His Mother? appeared first on TheWrap.

In Ryan Murphy’s latest edition of his “Monster” anthology, he explores the twisted world of Gein, who went on to inspire Hollywood killers in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Psycho.” But few know Gein’s story. 

Though his life has been dramatized for decades since his murders in the 1950s, the serial killer has only admitted to the deaths of two women: Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan. However, the twisted way that he engaged with their bodies made him a spectacle. 

It is reported that Gein had an abusive father, and after his death, he became attached to his mother. After her death, the “Butcher of Plainfield” became fascinated with dead bodies and robbed graveyards of women that looked like his own mother. 

Gein flew under the radar for many years but first came under police scrutiny in 1957 when Worden, a hardware store owner, went missing, and people said she was last seen with Gein. The police searched his house and found his disturbing basement, which contained Worden’s body hanging by her ankles with her head decapitated. Her head was being preserved elsewhere. During the search, authorities also discovered the head of Hogan, a tavern operator who had disappeared in 1954.

There were also household items made of human flesh, including lampshades, and he also built a face mask and woman suit out of skin peeled off of corpses. Historians believe that Gein used the “woman suit” to become his mother. 

Gein admitted to killing both Worden and Horgan but pled not guilty by reason of insanity. He was placed in a mental hospital and diagnosed as a schizophrenic and deemed not fit for trial in late 1957. He was later put on trial in 1968 and was only found guilty of killing Worden. Due to his mental health issues, Gein was sentenced to live in a mental hospital until his death in 1984.   

He was suspected to have killed his brother, who died in a mysterious fire, but the cause of death was ruled an accident. Murphy’s “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” speculates about other deaths that Gein may have been responsible for, but he was only found guilty of one and admitted to two.

The post Netflix’s ‘Monster’: How Many People Did Ed Gein Kill? appeared first on TheWrap.

This time around, Aries and Gemini sun placements dominate the contestants, and their ages range from 27 to 41. The singles all work in a variety of fields, including the medical industry, sales, real estate and more.

Some of them have been single for quite some time, a couple are world travelers, and many aren’t tolerating anyone who can’t bring positive vibes, hard work, and good fun to the relationship.

Check out the full cast below.

Anton

Anton, who grew up in Russia, comes ready to lock in love with a woman who is kind and truthful. But he admits his one bad habit is vaping.

Age: 29

Job: Transportation/logistics

Zodiac sign: Aquarius

Blake

While he’s a jokester, Blake doesn’t play about finding love. He’s a proud homeowner and dog dad.

Age: 34

Job: Accountant

Zodiac sign: Aries

Brenden

When Brenden, who is described by his family as being a kind and compassionate person, enters the pods with hopes of finding the woman who can be his best friend.

Age: 32

Job: Finance manager

Zodiac sign: Leo

Chase

Chase is a 5 a.m. riser who likes his days to go just as he’s planned them. He loves to travel, as he spent eight months journeying through Southeast Asia. He wants his lady to be a traveler as well.

Age: 29

Job: Water treatment consultant

Zodiac sign: Gemini

Dayo

Dayo, who originally hails from the U.K., is a man who loves positive vibes and energy only. Though his friends say he’s a bit picky when it comes to women, the European lad is ready to settle down with the one.

Age: 30

Job: IT advisor

Zodiac sign: Sagittarius

Dylan

Dylan is a lover of the hit NBC show “The Office,” and he has hopes that his lady will have a love for comedy as well. He wants to be the Jim to someone’s Pam.

Age: 32

Job: Financial analyst

Zodiac sign: Gemini

Edmond

Edmond admits that he can be a bit obnoxious, but he says it’s mostly when he’s out having a good time. He wants a compassionate, friendly woman who won’t make him give up his rollerblading habit.

Age: 29

Job: Realtor

Zodiac sign: Libra

Jensen

Jensen is looking for a partner who loves to see new places just as much as he does. He’s optimistic and sees life from a more positive aspect, and would like his partner to be the same.

Age: 29

Job: Data analyst

Zodiac sign: Gemini

Joe

Joe wants an intimate connection with someone in the pods — one as deep as his relationship with God. And he’d like them to be OK with his habit of whistling around the house.

Age: 29

Job: Sales

Zodiac sign: Virgo

Jordan

When it comes to responsibility, Jordan knows all about it as a single father of a 4-year-old, and that’s why patience is very important to him. Outside of that, he’d really like his partner to believe in great hygiene.

Age: 30

Job: Service manager

Zodiac sign: Libra

Logan

Logan comes from a small town, and he’s big on family. He loves when a person can take accountability for their actions and his true love has to want children one day.

Age: 35

Job: Account executive

Zodiac sign: Capricorn

Michael

Michael loves spending time breaking his latest record playing basketball at Dave & Buster’s. He’d love his lady to have a “boss” mindset as well as a beautiful soul.

Age: 41

Job: Medical sales

Zodiac sign: Cancer

Mike

Mike thinks of himself as a jack-of-all-trades who loves trying new things. He loves to travel and would like his partner to be self-sufficient with a “growth mindset.”

Age: 38

Job: Real estate investor

Zodiac sign: Pisces

Nick

Nick loves to travel and wants a woman he can book a trip with at a moment’s notice. While he’s been afraid to take things to the next level in relationships, he’s willing to go the extra mile this time around.

Age: 28

Job: Luxury watch dealer

Zodiac sign: Capricorn

Patrick

Patrick is cool, calm and collected, and he adores down-to-earth conversations. He hasn’t found his perfect match, but that could all change in the pods.

Age: 31

Job: Construction manager

Zodiac sign: Scorpio

Rohan

Rohan is a man of many languages who is looking for a woman he can travel the world with. He is family-oriented and needs his partner to be as well.

Age: 27

Job: Private equity

Zodiac sign: Aquarius

Ali

She has high standards and doesn’t want a man to waste her time on immature behavior. Right now, she’s pursuing another degree and needs her man to understand her passion for knowledge and growth.

Age: 29

Job: Nurse

Zodiac sign: Aries

Anastasia

Anastasia loves good, authentic conversation, and her listening skills come in handy in her career as a nurse. When she’s not in a hospital, she’s grooving on the dance floor.

Age: 29

Job: Nurse

Zodiac sign: Taurus

Anna

Anna advocates for everyone to take up therapy if they can because she prioritizes emotional maturity in a mate. She doesn’t tolerate anyone who is disrespectful, especially to their parents. Her loved ones describe her as fun and easygoing.

Age: 28

Job: Hairstylist

Zodiac sign: Virgo

Annie

Annie is a business owner who is most attracted to a hard-working man who supports all her goals and ambitions. She comes from two parents who have a loving marriage, so that’s her golden standard for a relationship.

Age: 31

Job: Hair salon owner

Zodiac sign: Aries

Ashley

Ashley has been single for quite some time, and she’s ready to enter the pods in hopes of finding the one for her. She likes a man with a boss mentality who can also help her relax.

Age: 35

Job: Director of Compliance

Zodiac sign: Aries

Aza

Aza is a concert-lover and she’s looking for a partner who loves music as much as she does. She’s described as a happy and positive person, and she wants her man to be the same.

Age: 32

Job: Events manager

Zodiac sign: Aquarius

Chyna

Chyna loves being silly and cracking jokes, but she’s taking her relationship journey very seriously. She has a strong faith and isn’t settling until she finds the perfect person for her.

Age: 39

Job: Marketing manager

Zodiac sign: Leo

Hilary

Hilary is a true sporto, but that isn’t a requirement for her when dating, though he must love her dog Eeyore.

Age: 39

Job: Medical device sales

Zodiac sign: Gemini

Kacie

Kacie is a jokester who wants a sarcastic fella on her side. She loves to laugh, but she cries just as hard, and wants her man to understand her varying emotions.

Age: 34

Job: Hair and makeup artist

Zodiac sign: Cancer

Kait

Kair is miss independent, miss self-sufficient and her man has to understand that. She doesn’t want to waste her time on meaningless interactions, as she’s ready to lock down and find her husband.

Age: 33

Job: Registered dietician

Zodiac sign: Cancer

Kalybriah

Kalybriah is a big talker, so her man will have to be a good listener. She’s open to fixing her own flaws because she understands no one is perfect.

Age: 29

Job: Social worker

Zodiac sign: Virgo

Kaylen

Kaylen loves life, humans and animals. She maintains positive energy, and she loves passing that on in her relationships.

Age: 29

Job: Account executive

Zodiac sign: Pisces

Madison

In the past year, Madison has gone on 40 first dates, but she’s not giving up hope on finding love. She has an open heart and open mind that any man would love.

Age: 28

Job: UX/UI designer

Zodiac sign: Leo

Megan H.

Megan H. is very self-sufficient and appears to be a video gamer, as she boasts a Zelda tattoo. Aside from fictional characters, she loves her family and friends because they hold her down when her world is chaotic.

Age: 36

Job: Property manager

Zodiac sign: Gemini

Megan W.

Megan considers herself to be a perfectionist, and that quality has helped pave her way to the successful life she lives today. She’s looking for a financially and emotionally stable partner.

Age: 35

Job: Entrepreneur

Zodiac sign: Aries

Shelby

Shelby is a “boss lady” who is still waiting on the man who makes her feel like she’s warm in her home. She’d also prefer a respectful partner who knows how to properly pursue a woman.

Age: 35

Job: Realtor

Zodiac sign: Scorpio.

The post ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 9 Cast Guide | Photos appeared first on TheWrap.

Check out our list of the best new movies streaming in October below.

“Play Dirty”

Prime Video – Oct. 1

One of the year’s most entertaining films, “Play Dirty” is a breathless action thriller inspired by Donald E. Westlake’s Parker novels (written under his pen name Richard Stark), with Mark Wahlberg essaying a character that had previously been portrayed by Lee Marvin, Jim Brown, Robert Duvall, Mel Gibson and Jason Statham (among others). After a member of his crew (Rosa Salazar) goes rogue, he tracks her down and joins her in a heist that involves the New York mafia (led by Tony Shaloub), an unstable South American government and the world’s richest man, an unseemly tech bro (played by Chukwudi Iwuji). Co-written and directed by Shane Black, whose credits include writing “Lethal Weapon,” “The Last Boy Scout” and “The Long Kiss Goodnight,” in addition to directing “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and “The Nice Guys,” you can feel that he has a real grip on the pulpy, neo-noir specifics of the novel and gleefully combines those elements with punchy, oversized 1980’s action movie set pieces.

The resulting movie, peppered with superb supporting performances from LaKeith Stanfield, Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Jane and Nat Wolff, is absolutely intoxicating. It feels like the kind of movie you’d rent from your local video store on a Friday night in 1991 and will go along perfectly with a piping hot pizza, a giant bottle of soda and a bowl filled to the brim with your favorite candy. It’s that kind of movie and it demands that kind of experience. It’s unclear if you’ll have as much fun with a movie all year long. And, yes, you will want them to make many more movies with Wahlberg as Parker – it’s the best he’s been in ages.

“Death Becomes Her”

Netflix – Oct. 1

Robert Zemeckis’ “Death Becomes Her” defies genre. It’s one part supernatural thriller, one part rom-com and one part slapstick. But it’s all delightful. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn play two women who are in love with the same man, played by Bruce Willis. Years after Willis leaves Hawn’s character for Streep, Hawn’s character appears rejuvenated and looking more beautiful than ever. How? She took a secret beauty serum that’s made her immortal, and now Streep wants her hands on it. Hilarity ensues as Zemeckis delights in practical and special effects (including some killer makeup) throughout.

“Trick ‘r Treat”

HBO Max – Oct. 1

A Halloween classic, “Trick ‘r Treat” is a perfect pick to either kick off Spooky Season or celebrate on All Hallow’s Eve. The 2007 film is an anthology that tells five separate horror stories, all revolving around Halloween. Each one has terrifically spooky vibes, some intense R-rated gore and a twist ending that’ll have you reaching for the lights. The less said the better, but if for some reason you’ve never seen this one there’s no time like the present.

“The Craft”

Paramount+ – Oct. 1

Just one of the all-time great Spooky Season watches, 1996’s “The Craft” is maybe the best teen witch movie ever made. The film stars Fairuza Balk, Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell and Rachel True as high school friends who dabble in witchcraft for their own gain. But the unforeseen cost of these spells starts to throw their lives into chaos. Also the ’90s soundtrack is rockin’.

“The Lost Bus”

Apple TV+ – Oct. 3

“The Lost Bus” is based on the Camp Fire, a 2018 wildfire that wound up being the deadliest blaze in California history, with 85 casualties and thousands of acres of burned land. In the film Matthew McConaughey plays Kevin McKay, a screw-up and bus driver who ends up taking a dangerous mission to transport a classroom full of kids to safety. America Ferrera plays the kids’ schoolteacher who accompanies them on their potentially deadly trek. And Yul Vazquez plays Ray Martinez, the Cal Fire battalion chief, who is dealing with the administrative and organizational complications of the fire. (The fire was later blamed on poorly maintained Pacific Gas and Electric Company wires.) “The Lost Bus” was directed by Paul Greengrass, whose breathless kineticism brought life into “The Bourne Supremacy,” “United 93” and, most recently, “News of the World.” He brings the tragedy to life with an edge-of-your-seat immediacy but never loses sight of the emotional center. You’ve never seen fire sequences quite like this or worried for those in danger quite as much.

“Steve”

Netflix – Oct. 3

In Cillian Murphy’s latest tour-de-force performance, he portrays the title character, a headteacher in charge of a school for boys with behavior and societal issues. According to the official synopsis the film “follows a pivotal day at a last-chance reform school amid a world that has forsaken them. As Steve fights to protect the school’s integrity and prevent its impending closure, he grapples with his own mental health. In parallel to Steve’s struggles, we meet Shy (Jay Lycurgo), a troubled teen caught between his past and what lies ahead as he tries to reconcile his inner fragility with his impulse for self-destruction and violence.” The script by Max Porter is based on his bestselling novella “Shy,” with directorial duties handled by Murphy’s “Small Things like These” collaborator Tim Mielants. The film, which debuted at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, sounds absolutely devastating. But, you know, in a good way.

“Bring Her Back”

HBO Max – Oct. 3

Danny and Michael Philippou made the unlikely leap from YouTube wiseacres to very talented filmmakers with 2022’s “Talk to Me,” a movie that reframed demonic tinkering as a casual teenage party game. It was grim, it was thrilling, and it announced the Philippous as some of the most exciting filmmakers currently work. Their sophomore feature, “Bring Her Back,” might not hit the same highs as “Talk to Me” but it cements their place as fascinating and fearless, willing to mine genre conventions for something more emotional and odder. In “Bring Her Back” a high schooler and his partially sighted stepsister are adopted by an odd middle-aged woman (Sally Hawkins). Almost as soon as they arrive, they realize something about their new “mother” is off. And it only gets stranger and bloodier from there. It would be criminal to reveal any more about “Bring Her Back,” but just know this is considerably bleaker than “Talk to Me.” Maybe you’ll love it more? But just know that the Philippous are the real deal.

“Honey, Don’t!”

Peacock – Oct. 3

The second film in Ethan Coen’s so-called lesbian B-movie trilogy after last year’s so-so “Drive-Away Dolls,” “Honey Don’t!” once again stars Margaret Qualley, this time as a hot lesbian private detective who stumbles onto a mystery involving deaths connected to a church (led by a reverend played by Chris Evans). Even if “Honey Don’t” winds up as lousy as “Drive-Away Dolls,” there will undoubtedly be some fun to be had – the stellar supporting cast includes Aubrey Plaza, Charlie Day, Kristen Connolly and Billy Eichner and the trailer was intriguing enough. And hey, having a movie from one Coen Brother is better than having no Coen Brothers. That’s something, right? Honey, yes!

“The Woman in Cabin 10”

Netflix – Oct. 10

Streaming services love a starry based-on-a-bestselling-novel and “The Woman in Cabin 10” is the latest of these types of movies. Based on Ruth Ware’s 2016 book of the same name, “The Woman in Cabin 10” stars Keria Knightley as a hard-charging journalist who gets invited onto a yacht run owned by a rich guy of questionable morals (Guy Pearce). The other guests on the boat include Kaya Scodelario, David Morrissey and Hannah Waddingham. But who is the titular “Woman in Cabin 10?” It’s a woman that Knightley sees but the rest of the yacht insists doesn’t exist. That’s right – we’ve got a real “Flightplan” scenario on our hands! The movie was helmed by Australian director Simon Stone, the filmmaker behind 2021’s acclaimed “The Dig,” and is the kind of slick mystery that works if you’re mesmerized, in rapt attention, or folding laundry and only half paying attention. Truly, a movie for everyone and every viewing experience.

“How to Train Your Dragon” (2025)

Peacock – Oct. 10

Dean DeBlois, one of the original directors of DreamWorks’ animated “How to Train Your Dragon,” returned for the live-action remake. And the results are unbelievable. This new “How to Train Your Dragon,” which follows the same contours of the animated original, feels vitally new and just as essential. Part of this is because DeBlois actually chose to embrace the practicalities of live-action, shooting the film in Northern Ireland and allowing the majesty of the actual landscapes influence the storytelling. And part of it is because the actors he chose, including Gerard Butler (reprising his mythic Viking role from the animated original), feel so committed to the material.

Nothing about this new movie feels like it’s simply going through the motions. Instead, it feels totally alive in a wonderful way. If you’ve never seen the original, you’ll be delighted by “How to Train Your Dragon.” And if you’re already familiar with the first film (and its sequels), you might like the remake even more, because you’ll appreciate just how well they captured that spirit. Only this time, you can really feel the wind rushing by your hair as you watch the relationship between young Viking Hiccup (Mason Thames) and the dangerous dragon he befriends, Toothless. It might not have made $1 billion like the live-action “Lilo & Stitch.” But it’s a much better film.

“John Candy: I Like Me”

Prime Video – Oct. 10

This one is going to hurt. John Candy, the beloved Canadian actor, passed away at the age of 43 back in 1994. It was a huge loss, for his family and for those who loved seeing him perform in countless films and television series. “John Candy: I Like Me,” which was directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds, is a documentary devoted to the life and work of a singular comedic genius. According to Prime Video’s official synopsis for the movie, which just had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, this documentary captures those who knew John best, sharing his story, “in their own words, through never-before-seen archival footage, imagery, and interviews.” Among those who appear in the documentary are Mel Brooks, Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks, Eugene Levy, Bill Murray, Martin Short and Steve Martin. Chances are high that you’ll laugh a lot. But you’ll also cry a lot too. It’s probably what Candy would have wanted.

“Vicious”

Paramount+ – Oct. 10

Bryan Bertino, the director of “The Strangers,” “The Dark and the Wicked” and “Mockingbird,” a found footage horror movie from Blumhouse that barely got released but is super underrated, is back with an all-new tale to keep you up at night. “Vicious,” which was originally scheduled for a theatrical release but will now be debuting on Paramount+ alongside digital retailers, stars Dakota Fanning in a positively “Twilight Zone”-y trap. According to the official synopsis, when Fanning’s character “receives a mysterious box from an unexpected late-night visitor, it comes with one rule: place inside something you need, something you hate, and something you love. When she opens it, she’s pulled into a surreal and shifting nightmare where every choice she makes leads to terrifying consequences.” This sounds very good to us. Bertino has been a perennially undervalued horror filmmaker and whatever he does next should be on any genre fan’s radar. So place “Vicious” there now.

“My Father the BTK Killer”

Netflix – Oct. 10

Kerri Rawson is the daughter of Dennis Rader, also known as the BTK (which stands for Bind Torture Kill), a notorious serial killer who terrorized the community around Wichita, Kansas, and murdered at least 10 people between 1974 and 1991. And she is the subject of this new documentary, “My Father, the BTK Killer.” Rawson has been the subject of books and countless true crime podcasts, but this it the first documentary feature to tell her story. Skye Borgman, who directed the recent Netflix doc “Unknown Number: The High School Catfish,” helmed “My Father, the BTK Killer,” which Netflix describes as “impact of Rader’s crimes on his family and community, following Kerri as she confronts the possibility of additional victims and reckons with childhood memories that may hold hidden traumas. The film weaves together interviews with the investigators who helped uncover BTK’s identity and features chilling archival photos and sketches, and interrogation footage of Rader himself.” Whether or not you know about the killer and his crimes, this is still one of the movie’s must-watch documentaries.

“The Perfect Neighbor”

Netflix – Oct. 17

“The Perfect Neighbor,” which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and was easily one of the most talked-about documentaries at the festival, interrogates the controversial “stand your ground” laws as it surrounds the murder of Ajike Owens by her “perfect neighbor.” If you don’t know the story, in 2023 Owens was shot and killed by her white neighbor Susan Lorincz. The documentary is put together using body cam footage from the officers at the scene, both in the lead-up to the killing, and in the immediate aftermath. The results, based on the early reviews, are profoundly disturbing. It was awarded the Directing Award: U.S. Documentary at Sundance. And since then it has screened at the SXSW Film Festival, CPH:DOX, the Miami Film Festival, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, where it received a Special Jury Award, and at Sheffield DocFest. It is currently playing at the New York Film Festival. And soon enough you can watch it at home.

“The Twits”

Netflix – Oct. 17

Will the Netflix Animation hot streak continue? Following the outsized success of “KPop Demon Hunters,” Netflix will now deliver “The Twits,” a Roald Dahl adaptation directed by Phil Johnston, who co-wrote the original “Zootopia” and directed “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” both for Walt Disney Animation Studios. The titular Twits, Mr. Twit (Johnny Vegas) and Mrs. Twit (Margo Martindale), run an absolutely repulsive amusement park and house some magical animals that should definitely be set free. When they threaten an entire town, it takes some plucky kids to keep them in check and potentially stop their reign of terror. Natalie Portman, Emilia Clarke, Timothy Simons, Alan Tudyk and Nicole Byer also provide voices, with new songs from David Byrne and Hayley Williams. At the very least it will pause “KPop Demon Hunters” for 98 minutes before you throw that back on again.

“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle”

Hulu – Oct. 22

The original “Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” released in 1992 by Disney subsidiary Hollywood Pictures, was the kind of zeitgeist-capturing phenomenon that doesn’t happen anymore. Slickly directed by Curtis Hanson from a razor-sharp script by Amanda Silver and featuring gorgeous cinematography from the legendary Robert Elswit, it was about a psychotic nanny that gradually took over a nice suburban family. People were talking – could this actually happen in your own home? Now, more than 30 years later, we have a new “Hand That Rocks the Cradle” and this time it’s going straight to Hulu. This time around the mom, originally essayed by Annabella Sciorra, is played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, while the sexy, scary nanny, originally played by Rebecca De Mornay, is now portrayed by genre queen Maika Monroe from “Longlegs” and “It Follows.” That’s a pretty solid cast for an unnecessary remake, but perhaps most exciting of all is the director. Mexican filmmaker Michelle Garza Cervera, whose first feature “Huesera: The Bone Woman” was very good and extremely scary, is behind this new “Hand That Rocks the Cradle.” Hopefully she’ll bring the sly social commentary and finger-on-the-pulse anxieties from the original film to this new iteration. That would rock.

“A House of Dynamite”

Netflix – Oct. 24

Thankfully, Kathryn Bigelow has returned. One of our most exciting filmmakers, whose previous films include “Near Dark,” “Zero Dark Thirty” and the Oscar-winning “The Hurt Locker,” hasn’t made a movie since 2017’s powerful and extremely depressing “Detroit.” After dabbling in some other projects, including an adaptation of screenwriter David Koepp’s amazing novel “Aurora,” she has returned with “A House of Dynamite.” The thriller, set at the White House, is set in the immediate aftermath of a missile being launched at the United States by an unknown enemy. Bigelow, in her characteristically chaotic style, captures all of the maneuvering behind-the-scenes – Will America retaliate? Who fired the missile? Was it a mistake or intentional? – supported by a dazzling cast that includes Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Tracy Letts, Jared Harris, Anthony Ramos, Greta Lee and Jason Clarke, just to name a few. Hey, when Kathryn Bigelow calls, you answer.

“Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost”

Apple TV+ – Oct. 24

Ben Still has been quietly working on a documentary about his parents, Jerry Stiller and Ann Meara, for years and now it’s finally coming to Apple TV+. The film explores their impact both on popular culture and at home, where the lines between creativity, family, life and art often blurred. In the process, per the official synopsis, “Stiller turns the camera on himself and his family to examine Jerry and Anne’s enormous influence on their lives, and the generational lessons we all can learn from those we love.” If the trailer is any indication, this is going to be a candid and emotional look at how we view our parents when they’re no longer here.

“Ballad of a Small Player”

Netflix – Oct. 29

Edward Berger, who directed last year’s surprisingly satisfying Oscar contender “Conclave,” returns with a new thriller exactly a year later. (Both films premiered at the Telluride Film Festival.) “Ballad of a Small Player,” based on the 2014 of the same name by Lawrence Osborne, follows an obsessive gambler (Colin Farrell) hiding out in Macau and confronting his demons, both real and imagined. The original novel was praised for its incorporation of surreal imagery, which embellished and expanded upon its themes of isolation, loneliness and retribution, which maybe hasn’t translated as well. Early reviews out of Telluride have complained that the movie is a perfect example of style over substance, but have praised Berger’s direction and Farrell’s deeply committed performance (is there any other kind?) Either way, a new Edward Berger movie is always cause for celebration. Especially when it stars Farrell and Tilda Swinton. We’d bet all our chips that you will at least have a good time watching “Ballad of a Small Player.”

“Hedda”

Prime Video – Oct. 29

Nia DaCosta, the extremely talented filmmaker behind the new “Candyman” (and, um, “The Marvels”), is back with a new adaptation of classic play “Hedda Gabler” by Henrik Ibsen. And this time she’s cast Tessa Thompson, who worked with DaCosta on the underseen, underrated “Little Woods,” in the title role, who is usually the daughter of a general who is about to enter into a marriage she is unhappy with. “Hedda” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was warmly reviewed, with a brief theatrical run before it debuts on Amazon’s Prime Video platform. The film boasts a cast that includes Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman, Nina Hoss and Imogen Poots, with a score by Oscar-winning “Joker” composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. And you won’t have to wait long until DaCosta’s next film; she helmed the second “28 Years Later” film, slated for release in early 2026. The age of DaCosta is upon us. And we couldn’t be happier.

“Sorry, Baby”

HBO Max – Oct. 30

One of the few breakouts from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, A24’s “Sorry, Baby” marks the directorial debut of Eva Victor, who had previously written articles for Reductress, made short films on social media and appeared on Showtime’s “Billions.” It was produced Barry Jenkins who encouraged Victor to make a movie when she had expressed doubts about the process. In the film Victor plays a professor at a small liberal arts college in New England, who was sexually assaulted by a former professor years earlier. How that incident has shaped her life – and continues to shape it – is the main thrust of the movie; as an old friend (a wonderful Naomi Ackie) comes to visit her, the two parse out the past as best they can. The resulting film is surprising and warm and incredibly touching. A feel-good comedy about sexual assault isn’t probably something you thought you’d ever see. But “Sorry, Baby,” thanks to its thoughtful mixture of yuks and catharsis, absolutely makes that happen. It’s one of the very best movies of the year. And now you can watch it via your subscription to HBO Max. What a dream.

“Jurassic World: Rebirth”

Peacock – Oct. 30

The last entry in the “Jurassic World” franchise, an extension of the “Jurassic Park” series, was 2022’s “Jurassic World Dominion,” which brought together the stars of the original movie (Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern) with the stars of the latter films (Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard) for a big dinosaur-filled extravaganza. That movie was plagued by production issues related to shooting during the pandemic, to the point that an entire separate movie was made lampooning its production (Netflix’s “The Bubble”), but it still made $1 billion at the global box office. Barring the discussion of whether or not three years is enough time to have a film series reborn, “Jurassic World Rebirth” does feel like an attempt to recapture the magic of Steven Spielberg’s original film. In this entry, a small team (led by Scarlett Johansson’s mercenary Zora Bennett) travels to a previously unknown island used for the development of dinosaurs, to capture DNA from creatures that reside in the land, sea and air. The implications for pharmaceuticals are huge.

But getting off the island alive proves to be the bigger challenge. Original “Jurassic Park” and “The Lost World” writer David Koepp returns, this time joined by Gareth Edwards, who has a knack for placing small characters against giant creatures (his credits include 2014’s “Godzilla” and 2016’s “Rogue One”). If you missed it in the theaters, now is a perfect chance to catch up with the new movie – arguably the most satisfying installment since those early Spielberg favorites. We’re particularly enamored with the D-Rex, a freaky castoff dinosaur that looks a bit like the Rancor from “Star Wars.” Well done, dinosaur designers! 

The post The Top 21 New Movies Streaming Right Now appeared first on TheWrap.

Nicknamed the Butcher of Plainfield and the Plainfield Ghoul, Gein’s case inspired such iconic horror films as “Psycho,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Silence of the Lambs.” His crime spree helped spark our modern obsession with the true crime genre as a whole. Before you press play on Netflix, here’s what you need to know.

How many people did Ed Gein kill?

Though Ed Gein may have inspired some of the most notorious serial killers brought to film, the real Gein only confessed to killing two people.

The first was Bernice Worden, the 58-year-old owner of a hardware store in Plainville, Wis. Worden disappeared the morning of Nov. 16, 1957, but her deputy sheriff son didn’t realize anything had had happened to her until he found blood on her store’s floor that afternoon. Frank Worden knew that Gein was supposed to go by the store that morning, so he immediately turned his investigation to the local loner. No one was prepared for the horrors that awaited authorities on the Gein family farm.

Bernice Worden’s decapitated body was found hanging upside down in Gein’s shed. He head was later found in a cardboard box inside of Gein’s house. That’s far from all. Police also found several disturbing artifacts like a wastebasket made from human skin, skulls mounted on bedposts and a corset made from a female torso.

That search also uncovered Gein’s second murder victim: Mary Hogan. A 51-year-old tavern owner, Hogan had been missing since December 1954. After he was taken into custody, Gein admitted to shooting her.

Over the course of several interrogations, Gein admitted to stealing body parts from nine graves. Initially, he tried to dig up his mother’s body but was unable to extract her body because it had been filled in with cement. When that didn’t work, Gein targeted the graves near his mother’s body. He estimated that he visited the graveyard as many as 40 times. When asked by professionals, Gein denied having sex with or eating the exhumed bodies. Instead, he was attempting to make what he called a “woman suit,” an obsession that began after his mother’s death.

Was Ed Gein sentenced to prison?

Gein was originally declared unfit for trial after he was found mentally incompetent by reason of insanity. He was sent to Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane until 1968 when doctors determined that he was mentally able to confer with his counsel.

The trial, which began in November of 1968, only lasted one week. According to a testimony from a psychiatrist, Gein was unsure if he killed Worden accidentally or on purpose. The first trial found Gein guilty. But a second trial, which dealt with his sanity, ruled that he was not guilty by reason of insanity. He was committed to Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane and spent the rest of his life in mental hospitals. Ed Gein died of lung cancer in 1984.

Was Ed Gein suspected of killing others?

Gein only confessed to killing Worden and Hogan. But over the years he was considered a suspect in unsolved cases throughout Wisconsin including the disappearances of eight-year-old Georgia Jean Weckler, 14-year-old Evelyn Grace Hartley, Victor Harold Travis, Raymond Burgess and his neighbor James Walsh. Due to lie detectors and a lack of evidence on Gein’s property, it was determined that he was not involved in these cases and that Gein only targeted women who reminded him of his mother.

There were also suspicions raised around the death of Gein’s brother, Henry. The older of the two siblings, Henry Gein died after a fire that was supposed to burn away marsh vegetation got out of control. But it was later reported that Gein died of heart failure rather than burning, and there were bruises on his head.

“Monster: The Ed Gein Story” is now streaming on Netflix.

The post ‘Monster’: The Breakdown of the Ed Gein Case appeared first on TheWrap.

Here are the eight best new movies and shows you can stream this weekend.

“The Toxic Avenger” (2025)

One of the most distinct, striking superhero films of the past few years, writer-director Macon Blair’s “The Toxic Avenger,” has finally arrived on digital this week. A reboot of the “Toxic Avenger” franchise, the film follows an outcast janitor (Peter Dinklage) who is transformed into a super-powered mutant and chooses to take on the crime-fighting mantle of the Toxic Avenger.

Featuring a star-studded ensemble cast headlined by Dinklage, Taylour Paige, Elijah Wood and Kevin Bacon, Blair’s “The Toxic Avenger” is a tongue-in-cheek, blackly comic riff on the superhero genre that is practically overflowing with gratuitous, over-the-top violence. It is, in other words, an acquired taste. But those who are interested in seeing a wild new spin on a traditional superhero film should consider buying or renting it this weekend.

“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” (2025)

“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” the third and final film in its franchise’s movie trilogy, hit theaters in the U.S. in mid-September. Less than a month later, it is available to buy and stream on demand now. If you are a fan of the “Downton Abbey” films and original show and you have not had a chance to check out “The Grand Finale” yet, then you might want to do so this weekend. Set pointedly in 1930, the film follows the Crawleys as they find themselves facing the threats of not only social decline but also an uncertain, new future. 

All of the old, familiar faces are back, including Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter and Michelle Dockery, as are recent “Downton Abbey” franchise additions like Dominic West and Paul Giamatti. Directed by Simon Curtis and written, as always, by Julian Fellowes, “The Grand Finale” has all the charming, comedic and comforting pleasures that “Downton Abbey” fans have come to expect from the franchise and its characters.

“Chad Powers” Season 1 (Hulu)

It’s been a long time coming, but “Chad Powers” is finally here. The first two episodes of the new series premiered Tuesday on Hulu. Its remaining installments are set to follow suit one at a time every week through Tuesday, Oct. 28. Created by Glen Powell and “Loki” Season 1 head writer Michael Waldron, “Chad Powers” follows a disgraced, former star quarterback who seizes upon an opportunity to restore his reputation and his once-promising football career by putting on prosthetics and a wig and auditioning to join the roster of a floundering college team.

Pulling equal inspiration from comedies like “Mrs. Doubtfire” and sports movie classics like “Cinderella Man,” “Chad Powers” may be too ridiculous for some. But those who can get on the same absurd wavelength as it have a delightful treat in store for them. Like all of Powell’s projects, it has an infectiously, almost blindingly charismatic lead performance at the center it of it as well.

“Play Dirty” (Prime Video)

Shane Black is uniquely adept at making movies that feel like hard-boiled, paperback crime novels come to life onscreen. That is what makes “Play Dirty,” and his return to the crime genre nine years after 2016’s “The Nice Guys,” so exciting. Based on the “Parker” book series by Donald E. Westlake, the film follows a ruthless thief (Mark Wahlberg) who happens upon, with the help of his crew of fellow thieves and criminals, the heist of a lifetime. 

Black has spent his entire career pulling off crime movies like “Play Dirty” with more style and wit than most of his contemporaries. His new film is, thankfully, more of the same. In some cases, that would be a bad thing to say about a filmmaker’s latest work, but that is not so here, especially given how many years viewers have been repeatedly forced to wait between Black’s projects. “Play Dirty” is streaming now on Prime Video.

“The Lost Bus” (Apple TV+)

A few weeks after it received a limited theatrical release, “The Lost Bus” is set to arrive on Apple TV+ on Friday. Directed by “The Bourne Supremacy” filmmaker Paul Greengrass, the film follows a bus driver (Matthew McConaughey) who is forced to drive his bus, the schoolchildren onboard and their teacher to safety in the middle of the infamous 2018 California Camp Fire. Greengrass wrote the film’s script with “Task” and “Mare of Easttown” creator Brad Ingelsby, and you can tell.

The film is a white-knuckled thriller that never loses touch of the deeply human story at the center of it. Time and time again, Greengrass has proven himself to be a master of turning real-life nightmares into riveting and rousing cinematic stories (see: “Captain Phillips,” “United 93”), and he appears to have done so once again with “The Lost Bus.” In case that was not reason enough to check it out, the thriller also features McConaughey’s first onscreen film performance in six years.

“Monster: The Ed Gein Story” (Netflix)

“Monster: The Ed Gein Story,” which has the potential to be one of this fall’s biggest shows, premieres this Friday on Netflix. The third installment in Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s “Monster” anthology series explores the life and many horrifying crimes of real-life serial killer Ed Gein (“Sons of Anarchy” star Charlie Hunnam). As the season’s trailer notes, Gein and his crimes inspired a number of iconic horror movies, most notably “Psycho,” “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and “The Silence of the Lambs.”

“Monster” promises to pay homage to that fact by featuring actor Tom Hollander as “Psycho” filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, as well as actress Olivia Williams as Hitchcock’s wife, screenwriter and editor Alma Reville. The extreme nature of Gein’s crimes, which “Monster” does not seem interested in shying away from, may make its new season too gruesome for some viewers. For others, it is certainly positioned to be, at the very least, this year’s most startling true-crime drama.

All of its episodes are slated to premiere on Friday.

“Steve” (Netflix)

“Steve,” the second film collaboration between director Tim Mielants and star Cillian Murphy, is a grounded drama that is flying a bit under the radar this week. Based on Max Porter’s “Shy,” the film is set in the mid-’90s. It follows a pivotal day in the life of a headteacher (Murphy) at a last-chance reform school. Over the course of the film, Murphy’s Steve tries to fight for his school in the face of its impending closure, all while dealing with his own struggles and witnessing first-hand the plights of the students he is assigned to oversee. 

Narratively understated and yet rippling with visual invention, “Steve” is a stirring film about the importance of connection, sanctuary and understanding in a world that offers people very little room to make mistakes, let alone receive forgiveness for them. If you want something a little more lowkey than “The Lost Bus” and some of this week’s other streaming premieres, then “Steve” may be where you want to look.

“V/H/S/HALLOWEEN” (Shudder)

October is finally here, which means Spooky Movie Season has arrived. There is practically no better way to kick off one’s October horror watchlist, either, than by checking out Shudder’s annual addition to its “V/H/S” anthology franchise. This year’s entry is “V/H/S/Halloween.”

A five-part horror anthology film, “V/H/S/Halloween” features short movies directed by Bryan Ferguson, Anna Zlokovic, Casper Kelly and Alex Ross Perry. Maintaining the franchise’s VHS-inspired found footage format, the new film’s stories revolve around everything from a corporate taste trial gone terribly wrong to a video store containing tape recordings intended to help law enforcement identify missing children. It all sounds very weird and very “V/H/S.” It premieres Friday on Shudder.

The post The 8 Best New Movies and Shows to Stream This Weekend on Netflix, Hulu and More appeared first on TheWrap.

“NCIS: Tony & Ziva” finally got its titular star-crossed lovers together for a steamy hookup. And while fans will be celebrating the intimate reunion in Episode 7, there’s one person who is not interested in seeing them get back together: Their daughter Tali (Isla Gie)

The episode, titled “Dark Mirror,” followed as Tony (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva (Cote de Pablo) returned to Paris to learn more about the people framing them in an international conspiracy. That involved hiding out in Ziva’s therapist’s apartment. He was inconveniently out of town, but his partner, played by “Ted Lasso” star James Lance, filled in as their sounding board while they learned more about Jonah (Julian Ovenden) and Martine (Nassima Benchicou).

As they sought shelter in the therapist’s home, the former special agents had a chance to take their guard down and be vulnerable with each other, leading to their first hookup in years — one that “NCIS” fans have been waiting to happen for more than a decade.

“It was very organic … and I’m not just talking about the sensuality of it,” de Pablo told TheWrap. “I’m talking about the intimacy of it, the vulnerability. That’s the most important thing. You could always have a sex scene, but if it’s not really anchored in something that is intimate and real, then there’s no payoff.”

But Tony and Ziva’s reunion means plenty of payoff for fans of the couple who spent more than decade on the flagship “NCIS” series caught in a will-they-won’t-they dynamic that continues to haunt fans years after both de Pablo and Weatherly left the show.

Bringing closure to the loyal audience around the world was the whole point of bringing the characters back for the 10-episode Paramount+ spinoff series. The streaming format also allowed the actors and EPs to elevate the action beyond what they had ever done on the CBS drama series, while keeping the lighthearted humor and grounded relationships at the center of the story.

“I came into the show like, ‘I don’t know, am I too old for this? Am I going to be able to meet expectations?’” Weatherly told TheWrap. “That went out the window so fast because the collaboration and the whole team came together for an awesome ride.”

But Episode 7 featured Tali’s hesitation at seeing her parents getting closer during their European mission. As she told her parents following their hookup, she didn’t even think they liked each other due to the fact they had barely spoken for years — a mystery that has slowly unfolded via flashbacks throughout the series and involves both Tony and Ziva’s unresolved issues.

“That’s obviously a hurdle, but I’m not sure they’re ready to give up on each other,” de Pablo said, adding that their current predicament of being framed for a cross-country espionage crime is also a big obstacle in their path to reconciliation. “For years, the universe has kept putting them back together in these impossible situations. They keep working through them and getting stronger.”

With three episodes left, the duo teased the action only gets more intense as we reach the season’s conclusion — especially with the cliffhanger that Ziva plants a seed of doubt in Martine’s mind about whether her partnership with Jonah is as strong as she believes. Stay turned for more nostalgic and surprising moments to come!

“The show is a love letter to the fans,” de Pablo said. “They waited a long time to get their characters back and get some sort of conclusion to this story, and we were not anticipating this much love. That obviously is the great part of the journey.”

“NCIS: Tony & Ziva” releases new episodes Thursday on Paramount+.

The post ‘NCIS: Tony & Ziva’ Stars Break Down That Episode 7 Hookup and the ‘Hurdle’ of Tali’s Reaction appeared first on TheWrap.