SPIRITED AWAY (2001)

A lot of Hayao Miyazaki movies are a good way to celebrate this month. Maybe I’m biased because it’s one of my top five favorite movies ever, but Spirited Away is his crown jewel (sorry, Michael B. Jordan). It follows a child who finds herself lost in a magical world that runs parallel to our own. She must overcome the witch Yubaba and the ghostly No-Face spirit in order to save herself and her parents. The animation is riveting, the magical world is complex and deeply informed by Japanese culture, and the story is beautifully told over three acts. Just remember, never watch a Miyazaki movie hungry!

ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE (2019)

This is for the RomCom lovers! Always Be My Maybe is about two childhood friends who always had chemistry but ended up going their separate ways for over a decade. It’s written by and starring Ali Wong and Randall Park and directed by Nahnatchka Khan.

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (2022)

A recent Oscar winner in multiple major categories, and a somewhat controversial one at that. The plot about multiple universes, some more bizarre than others, overlapping with others was a little off-the-rails to some. I personally love a weird little movie, and this was a huge win for that microgenre. It’s a lovely, moving story about the twists and turns our lives take at pivotal moments, even ones that don’t seem huge at the time.

PARASITE (2019)

Everyone has recommended or been recommended this movie at one point or another, and here I am doing it once again! Bong-Joon Ho directed the movie and co-wrote it with Han-Jin Won. It’s a thriller that follows the story of two families in South Korea: a very wealthy one, and a very poor one that has slowly worked their way deeper into the wealthy family’s lives. It’s a much better, more nuanced eat-the-rich story than a lot of other ones released around that time and in the years that followed. The ending is pretty sad, so come prepared for that!

CRAZY RICH ASIANS (2018)

A hilarious family drama about a middle class woman who marries into a much richer family. The story centers around the couple’s visit to the family estate in Singapore. The movie has a lot to say about family and relationship dynamics, between cultures and also between classes.

THE JOY LUCK CLUB (1993)

A family dramedy that spans generations, The Joy Luck Club tells the story of four Chinese immigrant women in San Francisco and their four American-born daughters. The story covers multiple viewpoints, and clocks in at over two hours. It definitely leans more drama than comedy, but it’s a very cozy watch nonetheless, with lots of period nostalgia (yes I called 1993 ‘period,’ but I was born in 1992!)

LILO & STITCH (2002)

Doing this list made me realize that I have seen very few movies centering on Pacific Islanders and their stories, so I’ve added some to my watchlist. And as a rule, I don’t recommend anything on Pop Alchemy that I haven’t actually seen myself. But I stand by the fact that Lilo & Stitch is a great movie! (I haven’t seen the live action one so I can’t recommend that on principle either). Moana is probably a better recommendation here, even if just from a casting standpoint. Perhaps a double-feature?

Leave a comment

Please let me know any recommendations you have for me to add to my watchlist, and any thoughts you might have about the movies above!

Subscribe now

Beltane is an ancient Gaelic festival held on May 1st to celebrate the beginning of summer! It’s still observed and celebrated in many different forms (people sometimes call it ‘May Day’). This year’s Beltane is special because it also aligns with the full Flower Moon. If you plan on being indoors for some (or most) of the day, here are some magical movies you can check out:

WOLFWALKERS (2020)

Wolfwalkers is an animated film about a young girl in magical Ireland whose family is responsible for helping to remove the country’s wolves. A chance encounter with the titular wolfwalkers turns Robyn’s world upside down.

PAN’S LABRYNTH (2006)

A young girl stumbles upon a fantastical world and uses it as an escape from the horrors of the real world that surround her. A little spooky and stuffed with unforgettable visuals.

DEATH BECOMES HER (1992)

Two former friends vie for the affections of a charming but useless man. They resort to powerful magic, but things don’t exactly work out as planned. Hilarious, campy and colorful. Read my full review of the movie here.

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (1988)

One of Studio Ghibli’s earliest, My Neighbor Totoro follows a family that moves to the countryside to be closer to their sick mother. In doing so, the girls discover the magic of the forest that surrounds them.

THE SKELETON KEY (2005)

Horror fans look no further. The Skeleton Key is a spooky ghost story about a young woman starting a new job as a caretaker in rural Louisiana. It’s also part mystery, and there’s an incredible twist at the end. Read my full review of the movie here.

Let me know how you’ll be observing Beltane! And as always, remember to hit the “Like” button if you enjoyed this article and want to see more like it!

Subscribe now

Leave me a tip

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Seasons 1-5 of ‘For All Mankind’!

1. Al Gore lost the 2004 election in a landslide to fictional politician James Bragg, Conservative firebrand and first term VP to former president Ellen Wilson. Gore lost 189 to 349.

2. The ‘Earth Comes First’ movement fuels the rise of Bragg and leads to Gore’s defeat.

3. North Korea is expelled from the M-7 (now the M-6) due to accusations of assisting the Happy Valley rioters in their theft of the Goldilocks asteroid.

4. Many North Koreans now on Mars defect from their home country.

5. Mining Goldilocks is more costly and time-consuming than originally predicted, leading to stock market slides across the globe.

6. ‘Curse of the Bambino’ continues for the Boston Red Sox, who lose the 2004 World Series.

7. Samantha Massey and Ed Baldwin were found guilty for their plot to steal the asteroid for Mars. Massey is imprisoned on Earth, while Ed, who’s too old to make the journey back, serves his sentence on Mars.

8. Margo was declared a traitor and sent to prison (but Aleida still visits her).

9. Talladega Nights and Breaking Bad both exist in this universe.

10. CIA interrogations on Capitol Hill lead to the Mars Peace Keepers police force being established in Happy Valley to maintain order.

11. A rival space alliance to the M-6, called the ISN, is formed. Some participating countries include Brazil, China, Pakistan and South Africa.

12. John Lennon and Jay Z collaborate on an album; win album of the year.

13. Eli is removed as head of NASA by President Bragg.

14. The 2004 hurricane season was mild, with Katrina being downgraded to a tropical depression and barely doing any damage.

15. Portland continues to become a major sports city, with Michael Jordan (of the Trailblazers in this universe, not the Bulls) buying the Montreal Expos and moving them to Portland.

16. Radiation shields are installed at Happy Valley, allowing workers to bring their families up. A school is built and the town/population grows.

17. There’s a major train derailment in the USSR.

18. Private equity get their hands on the home services space, creating consumer robots that can assist with cooking and cleaning. PEO’s are on the rise in the workforce.

19. Former President Wilson releases a memoir.

20. Blockbuster is bought by a tech billionaire, begins producing its own content, and opens a franchise on the moon.

21. The M-6 established a joint military group.

22. Refugees known as ‘craters’ stow away in pressurized crates and emigrate to Mars, forming an underground community.

23. Bragg narrowly wins reelection in 2008 on his ‘Earth Comes First’ agenda.

24. The search for life in space continues.

25. A space elevator is in development to help expedite Goldilocks mining.

26. The M-6 established and elected governors to help keep peace in Happy Valley.

27. Former President Ted Kennedy died at 77. His son JFK Junior is still alive, and speculation builds that he will run for president in 2012.

28. The pathfinder space shuttles are retired.

29. California faces a budget deficit after the asteroid mining fails to deliver economically.

30. Flash mobs are still very much a thing in this universe.

31. The ISN boycotts the 2010 Winter Olympics in protest of M-6 mining practices.

32. Tensions mount on the border between India and Pakistan.

33. Unemployment in the U.S. reaches 8.1% while job opportunities on Mars continue to grow.

34. Global economies are taking a nose dive in the late 2000s/early 2010s due to the M-6 nations raising prices for iridium, which is what they mine on Goldilocks.

35. Global recession leads to global unrest and protests.

    Subscribe now

    ---

That is a LOT of information to take in ahead of Season 5! Personally, I’m excited to see how politics will shape up on Earth while Mars continues to fight for its own freedom. Based on the list above, what do you think might happen on Season 5 of For All Mankind? Let me know in the comments!

Leave me a tip :)

Leave a comment

ARIES: Birdo

A bold, assertive trailblazer.

TAURUS: Luma

Pragmatic, resigned and a little bit cynical.

GEMINI: Toad

Social butterfly with a secret spicy side.

CANCER: Bowser

Hard outer shell, soft and sensitive inside.

LEO: Donkey Kong

Charismatic center of attention.

VIRGO: Cranky Kong

Resourceful, but set in his ways.

LIBRA: Mario

All about rules and fairness.

SCORPIO: Kamek

Spunky little drag wizard.

SAGITTARIUS: Yoshi

Supportive when available, but hard to pin down.

CAPRICORN: Princess Peach

Devoted leader who also loves accessories.

AQUARIUS: Princess Rosalina

Artsy with a head in the clouds.

PISCES: Luigi

Super in touch with his feelings.

Leave a comment

Buy me a coffee :)

GAY, STRAIGHT OR TAKEN?

This weird little TV show lasted for exactly one season back in 2007 on the Lifetime network. It was an odd sort of dating show/game show hybrid where a woman would go on three “dates” with three different men: a gay man pretending to be straight, a committed heterosexual man pretending to be single, and a heterosexual man who was actually single. At the end of the dates, she would have to guess if they were ‘gay,’ ‘straight,’ or ‘taken’. If she were correct about the ‘straight’ guess, she would win money (and I guess a date?) But if she picked the gay man or the taken man, they would reveal their true identity and walk away with the money instead,. It was a bizarre show that honestly didn’t even deserve the one season that it got.

THE OBLONGS

An animated show from 2001 that started on The WB (retro) before moving to Cartoon Network/Adult Swim for its second and final season, The Oblongs follows a dysfunctional, semi-mutant family (the Oblongs) who live in a dingy valley town choked by the pollution and radioactive fumes produced by the wealthier town on the hilltop above them. The show was full of hilariously dark social commentary and the voice cast includes talents like Jean Smart, Will Ferrell, and voice acting legend Pamela Adlon. It should’ve lasted more seasons, but I think it was just ahead of its time. It would’ve done better on a network like Comedy Central, or even on a streaming network with a reputation for good animation like Hulu.

WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO?

Have you ever wanted to star in your own Marvel comic helmed by Stan Lee himself? That was the top prize on reality competition show Who Wants to be a Superhero? Created by Lee, it premiered on the SyFy network in 2006 (called Sci-Fi at that time) and only lasted for two seasons. Contestants, donning their own self-created superhero personas complete with costumes, competed each week for the ultimate prize (Lee was the only judge). There were some fun special effects and challenges that helped the show feel more immersive, while still holding onto that early Marvel -campy charm. We met heroes like Fat Mamma, who could grow five times her size when she ate a donut, and Feedback, who could absorb character powers from video games. The show was cheesy, but wholesome and fun. I would love to see it make a comeback.

Subscribe now

DINOTOPIA

My friend introduced me to this show over a decade after it premiered, but I still felt like it deserved a place on this list. Dinotopia is a 2002 mini series based on a book of the same name. It’s about a pair of brothers who crash land on an island where the dinosaurs never died and evolved alongside humans, learning to speak and forming their own societies. It uses practical effects and has some really beautiful locations.

BOILING POINTS

Everyone remembers Next and Room Raiders, but what about Boiling Points? It ran on MTV (rest in peace) for three seasons beginning in 2004 alongside the aforementioned other shows. It was a hidden camera reality tv show where an actor would act annoying in a public place, specifically targeting one unknown suspect for annoyance. If that unknowing individual could put up with the actor’s antics for a pre-designated amount of time, they would win $100 cash. Antics would include flirting with the contestant’s date, posing as a server and intentionally messing up orders over and over, and other things of that nature. Fun fact: Lady Gaga was a contestant on an episode before she was famous!

COW & CHICKEN / I AM WEASEL

A children’s TV show from a very different era, Cow and Chicken was one of my favorites as a kid, and my fascination with weird little tv shows and movies makes a lot more sense when I think about it. Cow and Chicken was about a cow and a chicken (no names, just Cow and Chicken) who were brother and sister and whose parents were just two pairs of legs. They went to school with normal kids and did normal kid things. There was also a show within the show called I Am Weasel, about a jealous baboon on a quest to take down his nemesis, a self-righteous weasel. It ran for three seasons on Cartoon Network beginning in 1997.

THE ANDY MILONAKIS SHOW

A sketch comedy that ran for three seasons on MTV/MTV2 beginning in 2005, The Andy Milonakis Show starred Andy Milonakis and his real life friends and neighbors on the Lower East Side in NYC. It’s very loosely structured, there’s no real plot, and I admittedly haven’t watched it since I was a teenager, but I do really remember enjoying it at that time. Every Millennial could probably recite at least some part of the famous opening theme to you if you asked them to.

What are some weird little shows that you forgot about? Be sure to shout it out in the comments!

Buy me a coffee :)

If you’ve read me before, you know that I usually don’t read the source material. That includes the source material for The Testaments, Hulu’s follow-up series to The Handmaid’s Tale based on Margret Atwood’s sci-fi novel of the same name. The Handmaid’s Tale had a pretty satisfying ending, but there are still a lot of questions the series left unanswered. Here are four questions that I hope get answered in The Testaments:

WHO IS IN CHARGE OF GILEAD?

There was an episode of The Handmaid’s Tale where June Osborne had a meeting with some delegates from Switzerland. The delegates mention that Gilead is a “black box,” and that nobody understood where or with whom the power sat. That’s still very much true for audiences, too. The Handmaid’s Tale put world building on the back burner during the show’s final seasons, and it became very confusing as a viewer as to who was calling the shots in Gilead. In some episodes, especially the early seasons, the show made it look like Boston was the new capital and that Gilead’s power was concentrated in the Northeast. But in a later season, we see them go to D.C., which is still apparently the capital. Bradley Whitford’s Commander Lawrence was propped up as an important, if regretful, architect of the Gilead regime, but when he and the other regional Commanders of the Northeast died, that wasn’t enough for the American rebels to retake more than just Massachusetts? Or did all of those men just represent Massachusetts and Boston? How many Commanders are there? I could go on forever with these questions, but hopefully The Testaments will provide us with some leadership answers.

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH CALIFORNIA?

The Handmaid’s Tale was primarily set in the Northeast, with a few dalliances in the Midwest, Alaska and Canada. We also see Hannah at a school in Colorado at some point. But what about California, the most populous state in the former U.S.? The last time we saw June Osborne enter a morally grey border zone between Gilead and Canada, she killed a man. Is Gilead’s control out West looser, making it more like a modern day Old West? Or was California the target of Gilead’s nuclear arsenal? Hopefully The Testaments will take us to some unseen regions of Gilead.

Subscribe now

HAVE THE REBELS MADE ANY MORE PROGRESS?

In the series finale of The Handmaid’s Tale, the American rebels and their allies celebrate the retaking of Massachusetts, making the United States three states instead of just two (Alaska and Hawaii). The Testaments will begin four years after the ending of The Handmaid’s Tale. What, if any, progress have the Americans made since then? Emily mentioned friendly allies in Connecticut, so is it reasonable to believe that the rebels have recaptured all of New England? On a dark show like this, it’s quite possible that the rebels may have even lost some ground to Gilead.

WHAT IS THE GLOBAL RESPONSE TO THE COLLAPSE OF THE UNITED STATES?

We’ve seen the Canadian response to the influx of American refugees, but what about the rest of the planet? There was a radio broadcast (from Oprah, of all people ) during one of the early seasons where some mentioned aid from countries like the UK and China. Is it possible that aid has ended? Maybe the world has decided that America made its own bed, and now it’s time to lie in it. We do know that one of the main characters in The Testaments is some sort of spy or covert op from Canada, but she may just be working independently. We also saw in the very first season of The Handmaid’s Tale some delegates from Mexico looking for a potential trade deal. Has Gilead been normalized after all of these years?

What are some questions you have that you hope The Testaments will answer? Stay tuned for my reviews on April 8th!

Buy me a coffee :)

AMY HECKERLING (Writer & Director)

You’re probably familiar with her most famous and enduring work, Clueless, which she wrote and directed. But her career started way before that, with timeless comedic films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which put her on the map as a director, and the Look Who’s Talking movies (she did that sperm intro thing way before Marty Supreme).

AUTUMN DURALD (Cinematographer)

Durald is the cinematographer on smash hit Sinners, making her the first woman of color ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography (she went on to make history by winning the Oscar, too). You can see her signature style in other films like Palo Alto, The Last Showgirl, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

NIA DACOSTA (Writer & Director)

A director who’s already received a lot of buzz this year is Nia DaCosta, who directed back to back hits earlier this year with Hedda as well as the second installment of the revamped 28 Days series, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. She’s also collaborated with Jordan Peele for the 2021 Candyman remake, and directed Marvel’s The Marvels.

MONA MAY (Costume Designer)

The Queen of 90’s onscreen fashion, Mona May collaborated with Heckerling as the costume designer for Clueless. She’s also worked on other hits of the era like Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion, Never Been Kissed, and The Wedding Singer.

DIABLO CODY (Writer & Producer)

A former blogger who would go on to win an Academy Award, Diablo Cody has written some of the most iconic films of the 2000s and 2010s. Hits like Juno, Jennifer’s Body and Young Adult were all penned by Cody.

Subscribe now

Note: This article was updated on 3/16/25 to reflect Autumn Durald’s Oscar win.

Happy Pokémon Presents! As expected, this was a big one because today is the megafranchise’s 30th anniversary. They announced the much anticipated tenth generation mainline games, Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves. If you’ve been following the most reliable leaker, CentroLeaks, and their drops over the past year or so, this is no HUGE surprise. But it is the first time we got to see images from the company itself, and to be honest, it looks much better than Legends: ZA and leaps and bounds better than Scarlet/Violet. So what do we know about it from the tiny glimpse we got?

Subscribe now

Winds & Waves will be an island-set Region

Generation 10 is looking tropical, so it’s set to join the ranks of Gen 3’s Hoenn and Gen 7’s Alola. Hoenn is my personal favorite region, so I’m not put off by all of the water routes we’re going to have to traverse between islands (the underwater diving scenes reminded me of the underwater levels from the delightful New Pokemon Snap). It also means, like Alola with Oricorio, that we might get some neat variant forms between the islands. And like the Blueberry Academy biome from Gen 9, there seems to be a lot of vertical gameplay too. But it’ll be some time before we know the true scale of this map.

We met our adorable starters

This one was bittersweet to me, because I absolutely adore pomeranians, but I also typically do all Grass-type playthroughs because they’re my favorite type and it adds an extra challenge to the game that I enjoy (the little bird looks cute too!). I’m personally not a fan of the direction that starter final stages have gone in the past few generations, however, because I think anthropomorphic pokemon like Incineroar and Meowscarada are bizarre. But that’s just me, I know a lot of people love those two!)

We have a vague release date

All we got for a release date is sometime in 2027, which likely means Fall but they aren’t ready to tell us that yet because they want to get us hyped. Fortunately, that’ll give us all plenty of time to save up a million dollars for a Switch 2.

What excited you the most about today’s Pokemon Presents? Let me know in the comments!

Buy me a coffee

Pokémon turns 30 years old today! One of the ways you can celebrate is by playing Pokémon: FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen, remakes of the original Pokémon games (Red/Blue/Yellow) with some updated graphics and features circa 2004. They’re available on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $20 each, and are an excellent way to reintroduce yourself to Pokémon games if you’re curious about getting back into them, but it’s been years or decades since you’ve played. If you’re not a superfan like me but are curious about getting back into Pokémon games, consider starting with FireRed or LeafGreen, and read these 5 tips from my own recent replay of LeafGreen:

Read more

ROSALINA (& LUMA)

Remember that hilarious, pessimistic little star from the first movie? Rosalina is the outer space princess who protects and leads them, similar to how Princess Peach looks after the mushroom people. Brie Larson will voice her, which is fitting considering how big a gamer she is.

YOSHI

A classic and beloved character that’s almost as central to the universe as Mario himself, he’s probably the most surprising omission from the first movie (if you don’t count the cameos or easter egg scene at the end). A rideable dinosaur with a super stretchy tongue, Yoshi also has one of the franchise’s best music attached to him and his games.

BIRDO

Widely considered to be Nintendo’s first transgender character, when Birdo was introduced in Super Mario Bros 2 back in 1988, they were described by Nintendo as “a boy who thinks he’s a girl”. That problematic language has since been abandoned, with Nintendo insisting in recent years that Birdo is and always has been female. But that hasn’t stopped Birdo from becoming a Queer icon embraced by large chunks of the Queer gaming community. Birdo is also a dinosaur creature and a counterpart to Yoshi, and has the ability to fire eggs out of her nose.

Subscribe now

BABY MARIO & BABY LUIGI

I’m not quite certain how the babes will factor into the story, but they were confirmed in the second trailer released in early 2026. Side note, these were my favorite characters in Mario Kart: Double-Dash, the best Mario Kart to date in my opinion.

(NEW) LUMA

The Luma are a magical bunch of sentient star creatures that are sort of like Toad and his cohort, but in space. Similar to Pikmin, their different colors represent different powers and abilities.

MOUSER

One of the lesser-known villains from the franchise, Mouser also dates back to the Super Mario Bros 2 game. He throws bombs at his enemies.

LAKITU

One of the most pesky villains from the Super Mario universe, Lakitu was featured very briefly in the second trailer. He floats on a magical cloud and drops spiky eggs on his enemies.

WART

A villain from Super Mario Bros. 2, Wart is voiced by Luis Guzman and was revealed in a March 9th trailer.

HONEY QUEEN

Another character revealed on March 9th was Honey Queen, a friendly character from Super Mario Galaxy voiced by Issa Rae.

Who are you most excited to see in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie? For me, it has to be Birdo!

Note: This article was updated on March 21st to reflect updates from the March 9th Nintendo Direct trailer.

Buy me a coffee

Leave a comment

WATCHMEN

Watchmen is a limited series starring Regina King as Angela Abar, a police officer in Tulsa who takes on a group of white supremacists in a world where superheroes are banned. It’s based on a popular DC comic from the 80’s, but makes a lot of tweaks to the source material. It’s dense, exciting, and easy to get through at a quick 9 episodes.

HARLEM

Harlem is a girlfriends comedy about four successful, well-dressed, (mostly) single women living in New York City. Unlike some other popular shows about single women living in NYC, the entire ensemble have significant storylines in Harlem. The series was unfortunately short-lived, but you can stream all three seasons of it on Prime.

JERROD CARMICHAEL REALITY SHOW

Comedian Jerrod Carmichael came out in his 2022 stand-up special Rothaniel, which you can stream on HBO alongside his latest endeavor, Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show. It’s hilarious but also devastatingly introspective at times as Carmichael navigates the new realities of his life and career after coming out.

THE GILDED AGE

The Gilded Age, while still a very WASP-y show (especially in the first season), has received some praise for showcasing Black society in 1800’s NYC. The meatier storylines don’t come until later seasons, but hopefully the writers will see their audience’s enthusiasm for these stories and lean more into them in Season 4 and beyond.

INSECURE

Insecure was created by Issa Rae, who also stars in the HBO comedy/drama. It’s a beautiful yet simple show about love, friendship, community, and making your own dreams happen. It’s one of those shows that can have you laughing and crying all in the span of a single episode.

THE PROUD FAMILY

The Proud Family is a hilarious cartoon from the early 2000’s that holds up today and is just as funny as an adult. I’ll admit that I never saw the 2022 reboot, but you can stream both on Disney+.

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

Abbott Elementary is a charming workplace comedy about a bunch of teachers at a public school in Philadelphia. It raises real questions about the way our society views and values public education, but presents it in a package that’s heartwarming and funny.

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA/POTOMAC

Fans of Bravo will tell you that these are two of the best Housewives franchises around. RHOA is several years older than RHOP, but both have deep content libraries on Peacock with plenty of seasons to binge on a rainy day.

SISTER, SISTER

A Shakespearean-esq comedy about teenage twins separated at birth but in 1990’s Detroit, Sister, Sister would be charming and funny even without nostalgia glasses on.

SCANDAL

If you’re curious about Shondaland, start here. Scandal definitely jumps the shark at some point, but I’ll let you decide that for yourself. Like all Shonda shows, Scandal is fast-paced and packed with action; at least something will go down in every episode (even if they sometimes border on the outlandish).

Subscribe now

When Pokémon launched back in 1996, there were only fifteen Types. Since then, three more have been added for a total of 18 (unless you could ‘Stellar’ which I certainly do not). My personal feeling is that the franchise doesn’t need new types, it needs to go back in and fix existing types for a more balanced game. But that’s unlikely, as the franchise has recently grown fond of refreshes and gimmicks (to varying degrees of success). We’ll probably get new ones in the future, so here are 9 Types that we could see/that I would like to see:

Creative Note: All images via Bulbapedia. I tried to be as thematically accurate with strengths and weaknesses as possible while still considering needed balance updates, but at the end of the day, this is all Pokélogic, so it’s not that serious :)

CUISINE TYPE

• Retcon candidates: Alcreamie line, Fidough line, Lechonk line, Corphish, Farfetch’d, Cherrim line

• Strengths (Offense): Ghost, Dark

• Weaknesses (Defense): Bug, Poison, Normal

• Reasoning: A lot of food-based ‘mons are already monotype, so retconning them would be pretty straightforward. There’s also a lot of room for creativity here, with obvious examples like Vanillite and Fidough, but also Pokémon like Lechonk, Krabby and Tropius. We could get a regional Slowpoke and a regional Shellder. It might also help revitalize overlooked Pokémon like Seaking who would benefit from a little something new to stay relevant. Balance-wise, the Cuisine-type would buff the weakness-prone Bug-type (these ants are ruining my picnic!) as well as the recently rewarded, but still offensively-challenged Poison-type. Alternatively, they could really shake up the mechanics and provide Normal with its first-ever offensive type advantage.

  ---

SOUND TYPE

• Retcon candidates: Exploud line, Politoed, Chingling line, Chatot, Meloetta, Toxitricity line

• Strengths (Offense): Steel, Water

• Weaknesses (Defense): Grass, Bug, Ice (resist)

• Reasoning: The fanbase has been lobbying for a Sound-type for awhile now, and I honestly can’t blame them (although the recently debuted Mega Chimecho makes me a bit more skeptical this is soon on the horizon). There are a lot of Pokémon who have elements of sound and music incorporated into their design, and they could be a good nerf to defensive powerhouse Types like Steel or Water, while benefitting the heavily resisted Grass and Bug-types. Throw in a much needed resistance for the Ice-type, and a lot of imbalances are starting to correct themselves! One glaring issue with Sound is that a lot of ‘mons (the songbirds come to mind) would need to lose an existing type, which could ultimately do more harm to the game’s balance than good.

  ---

PALEO TYPE

• Retcon candidates: Fossil ‘mons, Relicanth, Mamoswine line, Breloom line,

• Strengths (Offense): Fairy, Fire

• Weaknesses (Defense): Bug, Ice

• Reasoning: This is the first new Type idea that ever occurred to me as a kid. It’s pretty straightforward design-wise, encompassing all of the fossil Pokémon as well as anything ice agey or saurian. You could also throw in a few Rock, Bug, Grass, Fire, Water, Dragon or Ground-types that needed refreshing for balance. There are fan theories and leaked data out there about potential games taking place in the paleolithic past or in a microscopic world. But a Paleo-Type seems very unlikely nowadays with the introduction of Paradox forms in Gen 9 and Hisuian forms in Legends Arceus. Also, this would take a lot of the much-needed design diversity out of the Rock-type, which already doesn’t get enough love. Which is too bad, because they could buff the Bug-type (insert dad joke about Jurassic Park), nerf the Fairy-type (ancient nature v. ancient magic), and at least give Rock a resistance as consolation for stealing its designs. Since the Earth was hotter during the time of the dinosaurs, I think we can justify a Fire-type strength and an Ice-type weakness (although offensively powerful, they still need some help).

  Subscribe now

  ---

SYNTHETIC TYPE

• Retcon candidates: Porygon line, Ditto, Electrode line, Garbodor line, Melmetal, Castform

• Strengths (Offense): Electric, Fire, Poison

• Weaknesses (Defense): Grass, Normal, Psychic

• Reasoning: I’ve seen fans talk about the Plastic-type and Rubber-type, so why not combine them into the Synthetic-type? That opens the door to a lot more objectmon being retconned, and could help the bloated Normal-type feel more cohesive in a design-sense by taking some of the odd ducks out of the lineup and placing them in the Synthetic-type. Plus, like foodmon, a lot of existing objectmon are monotypes. That would probably mean bringing attention back around to the original manmade Pokémon, Porygon, which the franchise might not be too fond of. This is such a broad category of possibility that narrowing down strengths and weaknesses is tough, but I could see them being strong against energy-based Types and the Poison-type (humans created them to gain an advantage like extracting energy or building immunity). They could thematically buff organic Types like Grass or Normal. Psychic-type, representing the mind, could also thematically overpower them (although it’s weird thinking of Psychic needing a buff since they were the OG strongest).

  ---

MONSTER TYPE

• Retcon candidates: Gyarados, Kaijumon (i.e. the Nido’s), Grimmsnarl line, Carnivine

• Strengths (Offense): Fairy, Steel

• Weaknesses (Defense): Dragon, Bug

• Reasoning: Some players want a Beast-type for Pokémon like Ursaring and Persian, but I think that trims Normal down too much. Some want a Mythical-type to reclassify Mythical ‘mons like Mew, Clefable and Victini. I think a Monster-type is a nice in-between, marrying the accessibility of Beast with the spice of Mythical. Easily tied to regional myths and legends, it would be ripe for regional and convergent forms (think a regional Grimmsnarl or a kraken-like convergent Octillery). We could also find a home for a lot of those dragons who aren’t Dragon-type here. Thematically I think they could oppose Fairy, and be weak to Dragon to create an interesting Type triangle. There’s also something funny and poetic to me about a tiny bug being the one to slay a big bad monster.

  ---

COSMIC TYPE

• Retcon candidates: Beeheyem line, Clefable line, Starmie line, Rayquayza, Jirachi

• Strengths (Offense): Steel, Fire

• Weaknesses (Defense): Grass, Water

• Reasoning: I’m personally not crazy about the idea of a Cosmic-type because I started out playing Pokémon Yellow and Blue versions (though I don’t consider myself a Genwunner), and in those games it is heavily implied that Pokémon came from space (you can read the history of the Pokémon world on Bulbapedia). The franchise has since expanded the lore, but there are a lot of Pokémon that do indeed live beyond Earth in some capacity, so the type just seems a little broad to me. Also, I think Fairy kind of inhabits the moonlight/starlight space already so this could just end up being a Rock/Ground situation all over again. Wood and liquid water are some of the rarest elements in the universe, much more so than rare earth metals, so I feel like that’s Pokelogic enough for a Grass/Water-type weakness and Steel-type strength. Fire can’t survive the vacuum of space and could also use a little nerf (maybe I’m biased as a Grass-type specialist), and Ice needs a resistance so we could give them that with the Cosmic-type.

  ---

TOY TYPE

• Retcon candidates: Delcatty line, Cinccino line, Jumpluff line, Ampharos line

• Strengths (Offense): Dark, Ghost

• Weaknesses (Defense): Normal, Poison

• Reasoning: This is another idea I sprouted alongside Cuisine, Monster, Synthetic, and Paleo. Kind of like how the Beast-type is intended to house the more predatory Normal-types, these could encompass the cute ones that didn’t make the leap to Fairy. There would obviously be a lot of overlap between the two, but that’s been a thing since conception (Rock/Ground, Water/Ice, Dark/Ghost). Think of these as the cute creatures who can’t use magic, so they have to get crafty in order to survive. They could function similarly to Dark, prioritizing efficiency and cleverness over brute strength. I personally love the idea, but it could also further erode the poor Normal-type. They could be strong against Dark and Ghost, thematically overpowering them the way kids use toys to feel safe from boogeymen. Almost any weakness could be justified for this one, so I would give it to Normal and Poison, both of which need a little more of an offensive boost in my opinion.

  ---

MAGIC TYPE

• Retcon candidates: Alakazam line, Hypno line, Mr. Mime line, Celebi, Polteageist line, Gorgeist line, Delphox line

• Strengths (Offense): Steel, Dark, Ghost

• Weaknesses (Defense): Psychic, Grass

• Reasoning: Another possible Type hyped by the fandom, some think that a Magic-type is too similar to Fairy. But I would argue the Fairy-type is more linked to light and the cosmos than magic, though there would be some overlap which is, again, not unheard of in this franchise. There are a lot of Pokémon who fit the bill here design-wise. I could see them functioning similar to Grass-types in a support role that leans on Special stats. They could be strong against other, more sinister ethereal Types like Dark and Ghost while being weak to Psychic (the mind overcoming) and Grass (harder to sell, but could connect it to magic being tied to nature). Throw in a Rock-type resistance (all those crystals) to give them a much needed defensive buff and we’re good to go!

  ---

CYBER TYPE

• Retcon candidates: Porygon line, Miraidon, Rotom, Electivire

• Strengths (Offense): Electric, Fire

• Weaknesses (Defense): Grass, Water

Reasoning: I feel like this is the most likely option after Sound, although the Paradox forms from Gen 9 make me think they would’ve taken the opportunity to do this during the SV era (same with Paleo). There aren’t a lot of existing cyber-themed ‘mons outside of those Paradox forms though, so this could be one of the easiest ones on this list to implement because you wouldn’t have too much of a Retconing headache. Like Synthetic-type, they could be weak to organic Types like Grass and Water while being strong against energy-based Types like Electric and Fire.

Share

What do you think about my potential Pokémon Type roundup? Are there any of these you could see or would want to see implemented? Let me know your own ideas too!

Buy me a coffee

Casting a show as large as The Traitors is difficult, even when you’re just doing it for fun. There are a lot of factors to consider, and as we’ve seen, not all personalities will mesh. Narrowing down this list was tough, and I’ll admit that I don’t watch certain shows like Big Brother or Love Island, so you won’t see any of those names here. Here are 21 people I would consider casting, and please let me know your own dream casting choices in the comments!

Subscribe now

Kandi Burruss

Kandi would be excellent on The Traitors. She frequently played a voice of reason on the RHOA cast (as much as any Housewife can be a voice of reason anyway), which could be helpful to fellow Faithful when the Traitors try to stir up chaos at the roundtable. She could also be an excellent Traitor because she’s very likable.

Katya Zamolodchikova

Drag queens are staples of the show, like Housewives. They’re technically gamers, and Katya played the game very well on RuPaul’s Drag Race and Drag Race: All Stars. She’s also hilarious and wildly entertaining to watch.

Roxane Gay

This might sound out of left field, but Roxane Gay is actually a huge fan of reality TV. She would play to win, and would also probably outsmart a lot of her fellow castlemates. I could see Roxane as a strong Faithful going toe-to-toe with the Traitors and rooting them out one by one, or as one of the most cunning Traitors the show has ever seen.

Erika Jayne

Erika has always been shrewd: she announced her divorce from the now-disgraced Tom Girardi on the same day that the 2020 presidential election results were called. She’s always been very difficult to read, which could play to her advantage or get her into trouble if she isn’t being ‘open’ enough (poor Ron). I don’t see her making it far but I’d love to see the outfits.

Vince Staples

Comedians are a fun addition to any cast, and I feel like Vince Staples could be really entertaining on The Traitors. He stole all of the scenes he was in on Abbott Elementary, and the show desperately needs someone to balance out all of the drama queens.

Allison DuBois

A little more niche than other contestants, Allison DuBois is a celebrity astrologer with connections to the Housewives of Beverly Hills. She caused quite a stir in her now infamous episode of RHOBH and I want her on the show just to see where she stands on the Housewife alliances.

Marcello Hernandez

He seems to be the new big deal at SNL, so lock him in for casting before he gets too big! Lorne Michaels appears to be loosening the scheduling reins a bit (Bowen Yang was able to do a lot of side projects while starring), and I believe this show shoots pretty quickly (but correct me if I’m wrong). This could also be a good crossover for NBC/Peacock, just sayin’.

Law Roach

If you’re familiar with America’s Next Top Model, Project Runway or the aforementioned Drag Race universe, then you’re familiar with the snarky stylist. I want him on the show just to read some of the contestant’s wild outfit choices.

Kass McQuillen

Every season of competition reality TV needs a chaos agent. They come in many forms, from the naive-but-loveable nextdoor type to the villain on a mission. Enter Kassandra “Chaos Kass” McQuillen from Survivor: Cagayan. Kass was constantly flip-flopping on Survivor and would probably blow up her game pretty quickly. But that’s okay, because chaos agents are usually better in small doses.

James Kennedy

Remember him? Love him or hate him, James Kennedy was a presence on the hugely popular Vanderpump Rules. I absolutely could not imagine him playing anything other than an aggressive social game, but isn’t that more entertaining to watch as a viewer?

Big Freedia

I loved getting to know Big Freedia on College Hill. She won that show, and I could absolutely see her winning The Traitors too. Freedia is smart, hilarious, sententious and insightful. She’s a sweetheart that might struggle as a Traitor, but I would love the chance to see the Queene of Bounce prove me wrong!

JJ Redick

I know nothing about sports but knew I needed to throw at least some athletes in this cast, so I called in my boyfriend for this opinion! Per Tyree: “He is very cerebral, smart, and analytical. On the flipside, he can rub people the wrong way. He has been known to be abrasive at times. His social game may be his weakness.” Sounds like a pretty interesting player to me!

Mike White

We saw him on Survivor: David & Goliath and we’re about to see him compete again on the show’s upcoming 50th season. He made it all the way to the final three on his season of Survivor and even got some votes.

Margaret Cho

Another comedian to help keep things light around the castle couldn’t be a bad thing. Margaret Cho is hilarious and also has lots of acting experience on her resume, which could make her an effective Traitor.

Jinkx Monsoon

There are multiple Housewives every season, so why not drag queens? Jinx Monsoon is the RuVerse’s only two-time winner to date, and has since landed some pretty big gigs. Jinx is super likeable and hilarious to watch. She could go far on her social game alone.

Ellen Degeneres

A real-life villain on The Traitors! It sounds kind of outlandish but honestly, who else is hiring Ellen these days? If she really wants to jumpstart her career back up, she could start here and just claim the villain’s mantle once and for all. I think people would actually respect her for just owning it already.

Kamilla Karthigesu

One of my favorite Survivor players from the New Era, Kamilla played a great under-the-radar game on Survivor 48 and we’re going to see her compete again on Survivor 50. I loved her arc about being underestimated, and how she came so close to winning because of it. She’s a good strategist who could be an excellent Traitor.

Vanessa ‘Miss Vanjie’ Mateo

Ms. Vanjie is TV gold. She made such an impression on viewers and RuPaul in such a short amount of time that she came back for Season 11 after being kicked off the very first episode of Season 10. She was an underdog, but went on to place a respectable 5th on her second attempt, proving herself to be a fast learner.

Karen Huger

I pop in and out of The Real Housewives after having followed for many years, and Karen Huger is one who I didn’t like at first, but I really liked when I came back to the show a couple seasons later. Karen has a matriarchal energy about her that I think would take well to a grand castle in the Scottish Highlands.

Michael Strahan

Another athlete recommendation from my boyfriend, who says “Well liked and loved in NYC (played for the Giants). Known as a sociable person. Intellectual as well”. I know him from his connection to Kelly Ripa, so I do think he has some crossover appeal as well!

Denise Richards

She was actually recommended by fellow Housewife Carolyn Stanbury after her run on Season 4 of The Traitors. Denise is sweet and likeable, but just like some others on this list, that could be her downfall. I don’t see her interested in playing a Traitor’s game at all. But she has an extensive career and could bring in new viewers.

What do you think of this fantasy cast? Would they produce a good season, or a filler season? Let me know what you think in the comments, and shout out anyone else you might add to the cast!

Share

Buy me a coffee

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for ‘Palm Royale’ seasons 1 & 2.

THE MAR-A-LAGO MOLE

It was fun watching Patti Lupone play real-life socialite Marjorie Mayweather Post. It was even more fun to learn that she was the secret Russian mole (my money was on the bootlegger but I’m never any good at mysteries). Her connection to Raquel and Pinky was also revealed, who still have a beef with Maxine, so there are a lot of places this storyline could go in Season 3, potentially being the main one.

ROBERT’S MYSTERIOUS ‘SON’

I put ‘son’ in quotation marks, because I feel like this might be an Orphan situation. You know, the movie where the little girl turns out to actually be an adult woman with a medical condition playing a long con? Either that, or he’s a super smart wunderkind working for someone else. This was the ‘reveal’ that bothered me the most, because I just wanted Robert to enjoy happiness for a little bit (if that’s even possible in Palm Beach). Hopefully if there is a Season 3, this one turns out to be a nothingburger.

MARY’S REVENGE

Mary hasn’t had much to do this season despite playing a crucial role in the first season, and I was somewhat let down by that. She’s uniquely funny on a show bursting to the seams with funny people, but she also has one of the most tragically sad backstories. If there is a Season 3, I’d like to see her in a more prominent role, possibly trying to get revenge for her fallen ‘bootlegger’.

NORMA, NORMA, NORMA

I’ve been waiting for them to just kill off Norma for two seasons now. I really thought the show was going to follow a True Blood structure featuring a new major villain each season. But they kept Norma around and defanged her in the Season 2 finale. Now she finally gets to be a mom to Linda, which is great I guess, but I would rather just not see that play out onscreen and assume they live happily ever after as a mom and daughter. I feel like both of their storylines are kind of played out anyway.

What do you think? Will Palm Royale ever be picked up, maybe by some other network, for a Season 3 someday? Or does Maxine get to live happily ever after? Let me know in the comments!

Buy me a coffee

Warning! This post contains spoilers for Season 4 of ‘The Traitors’ (American version)

We’re about halfway through Season 4 of The Traitors (American version), and things are starting to get spicy in the Cairngorms. Last night, we saw our first example this season of a Traitor flipping on another Traitor out of an instinct to survive. Will it pay off? We’ll have to wait until next week to find out, unfortunately (although I kind of miss appointment TV like this!). As someone who’s been in a one-sided feud with Lisa Rinna for over a decade (she has no idea I exist, but I loathe her), I’m obviously jonesing for a certain outcome. But until we see where the chips fall next week, here are 22 stream-of-consciousness thoughts I had while watching Season 4, Episode 6 of The Traitors:

Subscribe now

1. Colton is playing an aggressive but good game. I like that he’s at least swinging unlike One Tree Hill or Mark.

2. It was super clever of Colton to tell his allies to watch and see who defends Rinna, not necessarily how she acts.

3. The cabin in the woods challenge was so creative and fun I love this one!

4. I don’t blame the Gamers for wanting shields, but Yam Yam be careful!

5. That’s a lot of blood!

6. Johnny is trying to do a numbers game, Survival-style and I like it!

7. This is the point in the game where it’s kinda advantageous for Faithful to get rid of other Faithful so they can sweeten the pot for themselves and still hide in the numbers.

8. Such random beefs result from this show (never did I ever imagine Dorinda Medley and Ron Funches would be at each other’s throats).

9. Banishing Ron to get clarity is kind of a good idea, even if I do personally like him (and even though Candice is the one who brought it up).

10. Did Ron actually want to leave out of misery, or was it a (good) strategy to stick around?

11. What is Rob’s game?! Love throwing Rinna under the bus!

12. TAKE RINNA DOWN!!!!!!!!!

13. Candiace needs to cut ties to Rinna too.

14. How will this vote go?!

15. ROB!

16. Bye, Lisa!

17. Damn it.

18. This will be an awkward night at the Turret!

19. It does finally feel good to be able to move on from the Ron drama though.

20. Colton feels vindicated I bet.

21. Of course Rinna would be the first HW to break the HW alliance. She’s a producer first, always hawking her own product.

22. I still can’t believe Candiace got away with that conga line!

    Leave a comment

    ---

Buy me a coffee!

Warning: Assessments contain some spoilers!

SHARPAY EVANS (High School Musical universe)

Is Sharpay Evans the nicest person on this list? Absolutely not. She is indeed a certified mean girl. But she was also just a theatre kid trying doing her best to land a lead role until all of a sudden a bunch of jocks and popular kids decided they needed to crash the party. Were Troy and Gabriela better for the part? Yes (especially considering the fact that Sharpay was angling to play opposite…her brother). But she did her time in the ensemble and was ready to step into the spotlight, only to have it snatched out from under her. Can’t blame a girl for getting upset.

YZMA (The Emperor’s New Groove)

One of the funniest villains from one of the most underrated Disney classics, Yzma kinda has a point too. Kuzco was a terrible Emperor, willing to flatten an entire village and forcibly remove its inhabitants to build himself another palace. Had Yzma not intervened at all, he probably would’ve run that empire into the ground. Do we know if she would’ve been a good leader? Not necessarily, but it’s difficult to imagine she could’ve been any worse than pre-lessons Kuzco.

Subscribe now

N (Pokemon Black/Black 2 & Pokemon White/White 2)

In Generation 5, Pokémon took a big swing with its story and decided to address the years of criticism it received from animal rights groups like PETA. The mysterious villain known only as ‘N’ insisted that humans were enslaving Pokémon and that they all needed to be released so that they could control their own destinies. Pokémon has put in significant legwork walking back some of the more brutal lore and gameplay elements in recent years, but it all started with N.

MAGNETO (The Marvel Universe)

The wild thing about Magneto being kinda right is that our own real-world history has sort of vindicated him. Magneto’s way of going about accomplishing his goals is indeed brutal, but he ultimately wants to protect all mutants. It might not be a coincidence that niche mutants like Toad or outcasts like Mystique coalesce around Magneto, while Professor X holds court with a much more photogenic and powerful cohort. We see this in our own marginalized communities, where white cis-gendered gay males like myself have a significant amount of privilege compared to our trans brothers and sisters or Queer people of color. Magneto and his relationship to the Professor has been portrayed in a more nuanced light in the last decade or so, and it will be interesting to see how that portrayal continues to evolve.

Is there anyone you would add to this list that I left out? Let me know in the comments!

Buy me a coffee

Subscribe now

Read more

Like a lot of media from a bygone era, awards shows have been on the decline for the past several decades. Less and less people are tuning in to the Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys and more as the organizations that keep them afloat scramble to provide solutions to the problem. Some of these solutions, such as the decision to increase the number of best picture nominees from 5 to 10, have been good ones, but viewership is still on the decline, and awards buzz no longer guarantees at least a shot at box office success or high ratings. In a few years, the Oscars will leave broadcast altogether in a bid to expand their audience base and recapture their influence. And although that decision may very well mark the end of an era, I do personally believe that more accessibility is a good decision if the Academy wishes to remain relevant. But there are several glaringly obvious ways to improve TV & Film-based awards shows immediately, without having to reinvent the wheel. He…

Read more

Is it just me, or are year-end favorite lists coming earlier and earlier every year? Which is nuts, because the news cycle moves SO FAST! On top of that, some of the biggest TV/movie premieres of the year happen around mid-December after these lists are already out. So here, on the second-to-last day of 2025, I present to you the first-ever ‘Noley Awards’, my favorite and least favorite pieces of pop culture from 2025:

FAVE NEW TV SHOW

Winner:

-Pluribus: I hadn’t even heard about this show until a few weeks before it premiered, and I’m so glad that I did, because wow. I loooove this show. It somehow manages to be slow while also being intriguing. In an age where almost every TV show is a pre-packaged formula or a nostalgia trip, it’s so rewarding to watch a show with so much more going on underneath the surface. It’s a show that questions morality and humanity in ways that no other show is currently doing. Read more of my thoughts here.

Runners Up:

-The Studio

-Alien: Earth

-Heated Rivalry

-The Hunting Wives

LEAST FAVE NEW TV SHOW

Winner:

All’s Fair: This should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody. Read my thoughts in full here.

Runners Up:

-Zero Day

-Haunted Hotel

Subscribe now

FAVE CONTINUING TV SHOW

Winner:

The Gilded Age: After finally upping the stakes with a fantastic third season, The Gilded Age writers left the show’s passionate and growing fanbase eager for more Bertha and Railroad Daddy drama after ending on somewhat of an emotional cliffhanger for the infamous duo. The rest of the sizable cast feel like they’ve finally stepped into their characters’ full shoes after some growing pains (with the exception of a few who’ve been nailing it since the beginning). This was a close race, since a lot of shows including Foundation and The Wheel of TIme turned in their best seasons yet. But The Gilded Age takes the prize for its surprising but welcome shift in tone for Season 3. Read my Season 4 predictions here.

Runners Up:

-Foundation

-Hacks

-The Wheel of Time

-Fallout

-Squid Game: The Challenge

LEAST FAVE CONTINUING TV SHOW

Winner:

The Morning Show: This show has been a rollercoaster ride from the start, turning in a solid first and third seasons while dipping in quality for its even-numbered ones. That dip was deeper than ever for a bloated and platitudinal Season 4 of The Morning Show. You know that feeling you get when you’re at work and nobody really has anything to do, but the boss insists you all show up to work anyway, so everyone just makes themselves look busy while they run out the clock? That’s the general vibe for the latest installment of TMS.

Runners Up:

-Yellowjackets

-Monster: The Ed Gein Story

FAVE NEW MOVIE

Winner:

Sinners: After everything this society has been through with vampires, it’s difficult to believe that anyone could have anything new to say about the genre. Enter Sinners, a cinematic head-to-toe masterpiece that artfully blends elements of Horror, Musicals, and Drama to create the most memorable thing I’ve seen this year.

LEAST FAVE NEW MOVIE

Winner:

Weapons: I’m gonna get shit for this. But Weapons was very overhyped, at least according to my algorithm. I saw people posting “10/10” and “scariest thing I’ve seen this year” from the theater. To be clear, I do think this is a very good movie. Probably an 8/10 for me. But it was not a Horror film, not really! And I for one am tired of being sold Comedies and Mysteries disguised as Horror to sell tickets to a historically loyal fanbase. Anyone calling this the scariest movie of the year doesn’t watch enough scary movies.

FAVE REBOOT, SEQUEL, OR RE-RELEASE

Winner:

King of the Hill: One of the rare reboots to receive widespread critical and audience acclaim, the King of the Hill reboot is a masterpiece, and a true textbook example of how a reboot should be done. You can read my full review of Season 14 here.

Runners Up:

-Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

-28 Years Later

-Final Destination: Bloodlines

-Freakier Friday

LEAST FAVE REBOOT, SEQUEL, OR RE-RELEASE

Winner:

It: Welcome to Derry: Another unpopular opinion on this list, I’m sure. I’ll admit that I watched it all the way through and I do think it is a pretty good show. But remember, the Noleys are about favorites, not about the best. It has become so horrifically gory, and I personally just can’t handle the massacre of all of those children. In almost every episode, a child died brutally. I understand that ‘It’ preys on children, but this show just felt like torture porn to me. I’m glad we finally have an origin story and an answer to all that bizarre alien stuff though.

Runners Up:

-The Conjuring: Last Rites

-War of the Worlds

-I Know What You Did Last Summer

LINDSAY LOHAN AWARD FOR CULTURAL RENAISSANCE

Winner:

Lindsay Lohan: It’s only fair that she wins the inaugural award with her name on it. And we all have to admit, we were really holding our breath there when she began her reinvention tour a few years ago with her spate of Holiday streamers. It feels like after the success of Freakier Friday, we may be able to trust her to make good movies again.

Subscribe now

FAVE GAME THAT I PLAYED

-Pokemon Legends Z-A: The sophomore installation of the Legends series isn’t perfect, but is a lot of fun to play and mostly improves on its fantastic predecessor. Hopefully the success of the game will produce even better Legends games to look forward to in the future.

KIDMAN AWARD FOR INDUSTRY ADVOCACY

Winner:

Vince Giligan: We really need people to come out swinging against unchecked AI in the entertainment industry, and who better than one of the most respected makers of television?

FAVE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

I went back and forth on how to present the favorite performance award, and whether or not I wanted to split it into separate categories for TV and Film. I will likely do that going forward, but have decided to do one award for this inaugural year since Pop Alchemy is just a baby, and I’ve only been critically reviewing and archiving pop culture for a few months now.

Winner

Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age: Carrie Coon has been an underrated actor for a long time now, but it feels like 2025 may have been a breakthrough year for her. She’s turned in fantastic work all around, but nothing compares to her portrayal of the powerful and complex Bertha Russel in The Gilded Age.

Runners Up:

-Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

-Haley Steinfeld, Sinners

-Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus

-Connor Storie, Heated Rivalry

-Hudson Willians, Heated Rivalry

-Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

-Oona Chaplin, Avatar: Fire and Ash

Buy me a coffee

Here are 26 TV shows for you to check out in 2026:

PEN15 (Hulu)

As difficult as putting this list together was, I knew that I wanted Pen15 on top of it. Pen15 is a hilarious and short-lived comedy from Hulu starring creators Maya Erskine and Anna Conkle who play exaggerated versions of their thirteen-year-old-selves as they navigate middle school in the early 2000s. It’s stupidly fun for anybody who grew up around then, serving as a sort of time capsule for the era, but Erskine and Conkle are hilarious enough to make up for any lack of contextual knowledge of the time. It was overlooked at the time and was unfortunately cancelled after two seasons.

HEATED RIVALRY (HBO)

One of the most recent entries on this list, Canada’s Heated Rivalry has only released a handful of episodes on HBO so far, but ohhhh boy, are they steamy! What makes Heated Rivalry special is that it manages to be sexy without being cheesy, or giving viewers secondhand embarrassment. Great lead performances and solid writing help elevate the show beyond the sensationalist elements sometimes present in Queer male love stories.

THE COMEBACK (HBO)

(note: this show is not written by A.I., the show within the show is.) Lisa Kudrow is back for a third season of HBO’s cult hit comedy The Comeback. The show’s first season aired on HBO all the way back in 2005! The Comeback stars Kudrow as a sitcom star from the 80’s named Valerie Cherish who attempts to reclaim her old fame by starring in a reality television show. A second season aired in 2014 and was well received. Kudrow and show creator Michael Patrick King have stated that Season 3 will be Val’s final chapter, and it will air on HBO this March.

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (ABC/Hulu)

The crown jewel of modern day Broadcast, Abbot Elementary is a light and funny workplace comedy about a bunch of teachers at a public school in Philadelphia. It features one of the best ensemble casts working today, and is a rare example of good comedy that knows how to punch up. There’s also an adorable will-they-won’t-they in the first few seasons. Abbott Elementary is overall a very feel-good show, and makes an excellent binge watch to combat the Sunday scaries.

FOR ALL MANKID (AppleTV)

AppleTV’s speculative Sci-fi drama about a neverending global space race is likely to conclude with its upcoming fifth season. In the For All Mankind universe, the Soviet Union beat the United States to the moon in 1969, spurring decades of global investment in STEM as the two superpowers compete to outdo each other. Each season takes place in a new decade and shows us what life could be like if we were a society that never stopped investing in science: for example in the third season, which takes place in 1996, the United States is described as a “post-fossil fuels economy”. It’s almost difficult to watch at times, as the FAMK timeline always seems to make the right decision (the ERA passes in this universe too) while we…live in the timeline we live in. But hopefulness is the very core of the show, and it’s one of those rare Dramas where things actually work out for the good guys (most of the time).

VEEP (HBO)

As controversial as her many consecutive Emmy wins may be, Julia Louis-Dreyfus deserved every single one for playing Selena Meyer on Veep, one of the most well-written characters on one of the most well-written Comedies of this century. It’s a political satire about a clamoring, vainglorious Vice President surrounded by an echo chamber of buffoonish consultants. The entire ensemble is hilarious and the show features some of the best side characters on any TV Comedy. There are tons of political shows out there, but Veep is actually the one that Washington insiders say is the most accurate (something that seemed unbelievable until 2016).

FOUNDATION (AppleTV)

Another spectacular Sci-Fi from AppleTV, Foundation frequently deviates from the source material (Isaac Asimov’s Foundation novels), so if you’re the type of viewer who’s also a book purist, I would probably stay away from this one. But if you’re like me and appreciate the difference in mediums, I highly recommend Foundation. It’s an ambitious space opera set in a technologically advanced galactic empire that’s been ruled for generations by a sinister clone dynasty. When that dynasty is threatened by scholar Hari Seldon’s mathematical predictions of looming societal collapse, it sets off a rich and complex story that spans centuries. The technology almost feels like magic, giving the show a Fantasy flair, and the lead performances are compelling. Foundation is as grand and cinematic as Game of Thrones, but it sadly flies under the radar.

FALLOUT (Prime)

Another newer entry on this list, Fallout is a show on Prime Video adapted from the popular survival horror video game series of the same name (read more about my thoughts on how video games are Hollywood’s next frontier). Several viewpoint characters navigate an anarchaic post-American California 200 years after a nuclear-powered World War III breaks out in late 21st century Los Angeles. It’s a dark comedy similar in tone to Prime darling The Boys, albeit slightly less gory and violent (but still not for the weak of stomach). The production design really stands out, especially the retro-futuristic technology and costumes.

INSECURE (HBO)

Insecure is an LA-set Dramedy created by and starring Issa Rae. We meet Issa at a low point in her life and follow her journey as she attempts to build the life that she envisions for herself. It’s an inspirational story that balances a ton of heart and humor, and can make you laugh one minute before making you cry the next. Rae takes on everything from the complexities of navigating interracial dating to the feelings of hopelessness when you know you want to move on from something, but you don’t know how to do it yet.

BROAD CITY (Comedy Central/Hulu)

Broad City aired its fifth and final season back in 2019. It stars Abbi Jacobson and llana Glazer as best friends navigating NYC in their twenties. Every single episode is a hit, and since it was produced by Amy Poehler, there are tons of incredible cameos from hilarious comedians throughout the show’s run. It’s especially funny if you’re a NYC resident with all of its winks and nods to the city, but just like with Pen15, the show has jokes for everyone.

THE WHEEL OF TIME (Prime)

Another one for book purists to steer clear from, Prime’s prematurely cancelled The Wheel of Time deviates heavily from the source material (novels of the same name by Robert Jordan). There are a lot of viewers who hate it because of that. Personally? I think it was the best Fantasy show on TV during its run. Its two biggest competitors at the time, HBO’s House of the Dragon and Prime’s other big Fantasy, The Rings of Power, feel sluggish in comparison in the way that they drag their source material across too many seasons. Wheel of Time explores its vast world and deep lore in such beautiful detail in only three seasons, and they do it with a smaller budget than their competition. This is one that I really hope gets picked back up someday.

THE HUNTING WIVES (Netflix)

One of my first Substacks was a review of the first season, which dropped on Netflix last summer. I honestly probably wouldn’t have watched it were it not recommended by a friend who’s taste in TV I respect, and I’m glad he did, because The Hunting Wives was like nothing else that I watched in 2025. A campy, soapy, clutch your pearls-type melodrama that doubles as a critique on the hypocrisy hidden within the political bubbles we increasingly find ourselves living in. There’s a confirmed second season on the way, so catch up on the first one now!

KING OF THE HILL (Fox/Hulu)

King of the Hill returned in 2025 with a spectacular reboot after the original series concluded in 2010. The new season, Season 14, picks up seamlessly where the old show left off, even if the premise for the hiatus seems kind of wonky at first (they make it work, trust me). All of your old favorites are back (minus the incredible Brittany Murphy, may she rest in peace) plus a few new faces. You can read my full review of Season 14 here.

WATCHMEN (HBO)

Watchmen is a limited series from HBO that aired in 2019. It’s written as a sequel to the comic book of the same name, taking place 34 years after that story ended in a world where Supers are now outlawed. Watchmen stars Regina King as a member of the Tulsa police force shortly after vigilantes killed most of the Tulsa P.D. It’s part Sci-fi, part Mystery, and part historical Speculative Fiction wrapped into one thrilling season.

PLURIBUS (AppleTV)

Maybe my favorite new show of the year, Pluribus is a Sci-fi drama about a global virus that turns humanity into a peaceful hivemind entity. Only a few remain unaffected, and one of those few, the miserable Carol Sturka, must figure out how to “save the world from happiness”. It’s a fascinating show that asks its audience what it really means to be human, and whether or not those means are worth saving.

HACKS (HBO)

A critical darling that flies somewhat under the radar, Hacks is a Comedy about a quarrelsome duo, one writer and one comedian, who are forced to work together to jumpstart their careers back up. The show has incredibly smart writing and an ensemble cast who really break through the noise in a growing landscape of ensemble comedies. Hacks will likely conclude with its upcoming fifth season, since the mostly young cast and team of writers will likely be looking to build upon the critical success of their show.

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER (Nickelodeon/Netflix)

An animated show for kids dating back to 2005, Avatar: The Last Airbender became an instant hit with parents and older siblings (like myself) who spent a lot of summers babysitting. Last Airbender takes place in a fictional universe inspired by real-world Eastern countries like Japan and China, where certain individuals have the ability to psychically manipulate, or “bend”, physical elements through martial arts-inspired combat. The world is charming and magical and filled with incredible lore. It’s spun off one sequel (The Legend of Korra) with another in the works (Seven Havens) and has a live-action counterpart being produced by Netflix (which is pretty decent, but definitely start with the animated show).

LIFE ON OUR PLANET (Netflix)

If you’re a fan of science and nature Documentaries, make sure to check out Life On Our Planet. It’s a comprehensive miniseries narrated by the David Attenborough (and yes, it does feel a bit like Planet Earth, so if you liked that you’ll probably like this). Life On Our Planet covers the vast natural history of earth, from the first creatures to crawl out of the ocean right up to the early species of humanity.

THE GILDED AGE (HBO)

The Gilded Age took some time to find its audience, but it finally seems to have caught some fire in its third season (you can read my recap and predictions here). A soapy period Drama from Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey), The Gilded Age takes place in 1880’s NYC and follows the fictional Russel family, based on the real-life Vanderbilts, as they claw their way to the top, both financially and socially. The ornate costumes and set pieces are transporting, and (most) of the acting is phenomenal, Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector in particular. It might take a little bit of time to get into it, but once you do, you’ll be so glad you did.

FUTURAMA (Fox/Comedy Central/Hulu)

Futurama has been rebooted an astounding three times, first airing on Fox before moving to Comedy Central. It’s been at Hulu since 2023 and I’ll be honest: the once incredible animated Sci-fi Comedy has waned in quality since then. But its Fox through Comedy Central eras (Seasons 1-11) are solid gold. The show is imaginative and funny, but its humor does tend to lean towards those with a big appreciation for Sci-fi and Fantasy.

THE LEFTOVERS (HBO)

Frequently cited as one of the best TV shows of all time, The Leftovers is a three-season supernatural Drama on HBO about a sizable chunk of the world’s population suddenly vanishing, rapture-style. The story evolves across its three seasons but never becomes messy or unmanageable, like some supernatural Dramas do. It’s also Carrie Coon’s breakout role as Nora Durst. The story can feel complicated at times, but it all makes sense in the end.

THE TOYS THAT MADE US (Netflix)

A Netflix docuseries from the 2010s that’s somewhat reminiscent of the optimistic TV docs that Millennials used to watch after school (think Unwrapped or The Most Extreme). Each episode does a fun and detailed deep dive into an iconic kids toy, from Hello Kitty to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. There are a lot of surprising facts about all of these brands, and it’s also just refreshing to watch a wholesome docuseries every now and again after being inundated with True Crime for the last decade.

JA’MIE: PRIVATE SCHOOL GIRL (Prime/YouTube)

An Australian TV show from controversial comedian Chris Lilley, Ja’mie is far from perfect, but certainly ages much better than, say, Angry Boys. In a similar vein to Pen15, Lilley plates the titular Ja’mie (a twist on Jamie, pronounced ‘juh-MAY’), a rich private school girl in suburban Australia. It’s crude, offensive, and a laugh-out-loud hilarious character study by an incredible character actor.

THE STUDIO (AppleTV)

Another new entrant on this list, The Studio is a Comedy on AppleTV created by and starring Seth Rogen. Rogen plays an executive for a fictional movie studio that’s in serious financial trouble. It’s a TV show that loves movies, and almost every episode acts as a tribute to some kind of cinematic storytelling (there’s an entire episode that’s directed like an old detective movie, for example). Rogen is also the new Tina Fey, in that he can seemingly get anyone he wants to guest star, including Martin Scorsese.

GIRLS (HBO)

Some people consider this show ‘controversial,’ but that’s mostly becuase they don’t care for star and creator Lena Dunham. She can be polarizing. But Girls is somewhat of a (white) Millennial rite-of-passage for gals and gays, and it remains an excellent rewatch and one of the most honest depictions about the way that friendships evolve over the course of adulthood (even if its painful to admit). The comedy can be cringey at times, but so were we back in 2014.

SUPERSTORE (NBC/Hulu)

Last but not least, Superstore. Congratulations if you made it this far; if you’d like to read my full appreciation post for Superstore, you can check it out here.

Is there anything you would add to this list? Let me know in the comments!

Buy me a coffee!