This Korean Dystopian Drama Is The Top Show On Netflix Right Now
The hit Korean drama returned for its third and final season on June 27, bringing creator-director Hwang Dong-hyuk's overnight phenomenon to an epic conclusion. The dystopian thriller, which debuted in 2021, revolves around a secret contest in which 456 cash-strapped players compete in a series of children's games for a multimillion-dollar prize — however, the stakes are deadly.
In the final six-episode season, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) heads back into the games to end them after last season's failed rebellion resulted in the death of his best friend. Despite trending high on Netflix, critics have shared mixed feelings about the final installment of 'Squid Game' and its brutal ending. Check out HuffPost's review of Season 3 here.
Read on for more trending shows of the moment across streaming services, including Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+. And if you want to stay informed about all things streaming and entertainment, subscribe to the Culture Catchall newsletter.
Another popular show currently trending on Netflix is 'The Ultimatum: Queer Love.' The dating series, hosted by JoAnna Garcia Swisher, is a spinoff of Netflix's 'The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On.' It returned for its second season and follows another group of women and nonbinary couples who are at a crossroads in their relationships.
As the rules go, each person on the show is paired with a new partner to test whether they're ready to settle down in their original pairing or explore something new with someone else. Season 2 kicked off with seven new episodes on June 25. The remaining three will premiere on July 2.
Everyone's favorite kitchen chaos series is currently No. 1 on Hulu after returning for Season 4. With another 10-episode batch, the Emmy-winning show follows a crew of Chicago chefs — played by Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Lionel Boyce and Liza Colón-Zayas — as they fight to keep the show's titular restaurant alive. Read HuffPost's review of the latest season here.
A new addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is trending No. 1 on Disney+ right now. 'Ironheart,' a continuation of the title character's 'Wakanda Forever' introduction, offers a closer look at genius Chicago inventor Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) as her plan to create the most advanced iron suit yet gets her wrapped up in the city's underworld.
The first three episodes of 'Ironheart' arrived on June 25, followed by its remaining three on July 1. Check out HuffPost's full explainer of the series and interview with its leading lady here.
'Countdown' is one of the top shows trending on Prime Video right now. The crime drama, which premiered on June 25, follows a Los Angeles Police Department detective who joins a secret task force to investigate the suspicious death of a Department of Homeland Security officer. However, the race to catch the killer uncovers a sinister plot that threatens the whole city.
The cast includes Jensen Ackles, Eric Dane, Jessica Camacho, Elliot Knight, Violett Beane and Uli Latukefu. New episodes of the show release on Wednesdays.
A new crime drama starring Jurnee Smollett and Taron Egerton is trending on Apple TV+. 'Smoke,' which debuted on June 27, follows an arson investigator and a detective who begrudgingly team up to stop two arsonists, sparking a twisted game of secrets and suspicions. The first two episodes of the show are streaming now, followed by new episodes that air every Friday.
If you're looking for other TV shows to watch, check out our What We're Watching blog.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
What Tennessee football scenes did – and didn't – make the Netflix SEC show final cut
Tennessee is the only College Football Playoff team featured in the new Netflix SEC docuseries, but the Vols didn't get as much screen time as their opponents. UT granted behind-the-scenes access to Netflix during the 2024 season for its seven-episode series called 'SEC Football: Any Given Saturday,' which premiered on Aug. 5. Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas opted out of the series. Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt were featured prominently. Tennessee was sprinkled in a few episodes. That's not to say that there weren't notable highlights of the Vols, but they were few and far between. Here's the Tennessee football access that Netflix got Netflix filmed footage of five Tennessee games: Wins over Florida, UTEP and Vanderbilt and losses to Arkansas and Ohio State. UT also granted access to the locker room, as well as interviews with coach Josh Heupel and a few players. Wide receiver Bru McCoy was the only player who appeared in a formal interview in the series. Episode 7 is the one to watch for Tennessee fans Tennessee is the only playoff team in the series, and that's highlighted in episode 7. Netflix filmed Heupel interacting with fans at the 'Vol Calls' coaches show at Calhoun's on the River. 'Just win. That's all it takes,' Heupel tells a fan when asked how the Vols can make the playoff. Heupel was right, as the Vols beat Vanderbilt 36-23 on Nov. 30 to earn a playoff spot. Highlights from that game are prominently featured in the episode. Diego Pavia: '(Expletive) … them dudes' from Tennessee Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia had some colorful remarks about UT before the game. 'We can beat Tennessee literally any given Saturday. They think they're going to destroy us,' Pavia said during an interview in episode 7. '(Expletive) every single one of them dudes, you know? We're gonna win this game at all costs.' Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea joined Pavia in his desire to beat UT. 'I want to (expletive) beat Tennessee, and I need everyone to be on the same page,' Lea told his players during a team meeting in the UT game week. 'We're not leaving that stadium Saturday without a win.' Netflix captured UT players singing during a victory celebration in the locker room after the game. 'We don't give a (expletive) about the whole school of Vanderbilt, the whole school of Vanderbilt, the whole school of Vanderbilt,' UT players sang. 'We don't give a (expletive) about the whole school of Vanderbilt. We're from Tennessee.' BOO CARTER Vols star is back as full participant in practice Bru McCoy tells his story to Netflix McCoy is also featured in episode 7. He talked about his upbringing in sports guided by his parents, who were both college athletes at Northern Illinois. 'I was raised by two athlete parents. My mom was a volleyball player. My dad played football,' McCoy said. 'So the environment I was raised in was: 'Be the best, be well-mannered, treat people the right way, but win.' 'Losing in any way, I just hate it.' McCoy's parents, Horace and Shelby, watched the CFP selection show from their home in Rolling Hills Estates, California, while Netflix filmed their reaction. They anxiously hoped the Vols would land a home game at Neyland Stadium in the first round. Instead, the Vols had to play at Ohio State, where they lost 42-17. McCoy's big game didn't make the final cut Netflix was on hand for UT's win over UTEP on senior day, when McCoy had a career-high two touchdowns catches. Its camera crew was only a few feet away from McCoy in the end zone for those scores. However, that footage didn't make the final cut of the series. Why Tennessee fans should skip episode 3 Episode 3 highlights two upsets on Oct. 5: Vanderbilt over Alabama and Arkansas over Tennessee. It praises UT's dominant defensive line as one of the best in college football. But that just sets up the shock of the Vols' 19-14 loss, capped by quarterback Nico Iamaleava inexplicably running out of bounds on the final play. Needless to say, UT fans can skip that episode. Why Neyland Stadium atmosphere wasn't featured It's obvious that Netflix wanted to feature colorful characters and dramatic storylines in the series. That's consistent with its approach in NFL-centric docuseries like "Quarterback" and "Receiver." Pavia, for example, was featured prominently in the SEC series despite the Commodores not contending for the SEC title or a playoff bid. LSU's Brian Kelly and South Carolina's Shane Beamer — two of the sport's most outspoken coaches — also made several lengthy appearances in the series. So the series didn't spend much time on the electric atmosphere at Neyland Stadium, which typically demonstrates the crazy passion of SEC football. Netflix certainly had an opportunity to do that, as its crew was on hand for UT's 23-17 overtime win over rival Florida amid a sellout crowd of 101,915 that checkered Neyland Stadium in orange and white. Instead, that game was told from the Florida perspective, specifically the quarterback competition between Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway. Tennessee's 1998 national title team made a cameo In episode 1, during a portion on South Carolina, past national champions are mentioned to demonstrate how difficult it is for the Gamecocks to compete in the SEC. A photo of former UT coach Phillip Fulmer holding the 1998 national title trophy is featured. reporter Andy Staples lists Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn and LSU as examples of 'superpowers of the SEC.' Why Josh Heupel says so much about the Ohio State game Heupel gave a one-hour interview to Netflix in January. He talked candidly about the ups and downs of the 2024 season. Heupel beat his alma mater Oklahoma in an emotional game in September, just four months after his mother died. And he led the Vols to a field-storming victory over rival Alabama and their first playoff berth. But most of that interview didn't make the final cut. Instead, Heupel's comments about the Ohio State game wrapped up UT's portion of the series. Perhaps the Vols will be featured more if Netflix produces a second season of the SEC series. Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football in Netflix SEC series: What did, didn't make show
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
Yamaha Unveils New Flagship Soundbar With Surround:AI Technology
Yamaha has taken the wraps off its latest flagship soundbar, complete with so many speakers and so much full surround sound home theater technology that it barely still classes as a soundbar – in a good way. Called the True X Surround 90A (or the SR-X90A for short), Yamaha's new premium soundbar kicks off its attractions by being a multiple speaker system that includes external wireless subwoofer and rear speakers alongside the main bar. This instantly defines the system as a true surround sound package versus the front-soundstage-only set up most soundbars deliver – and the technology inside each unit sees Yamaha trying to take that full surround experience to a new level for the soundbar world. For starters, the system can decode and play Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and even, uniquely so far as I know, Auro-3D soundtracks. The X90A's main bar element also includes real up-firing speakers to deliver the height/overhead effects associated with the latest 3D sound formats, while proprietary SURROUND:AI technology works to continually optimize the X90A's sound to the content you're watching. Looking at these latter two key features in more detail, the upfiring speakers are based around the revolutionary 'beam' technology Yamaha introduced with the classic YSP-1 soundbar it released more than 25 years ago, with no less than 12 (six per side) precisely calibrated beam speakers tucked under the main soundbar's top edge. Using so many small but focused beam speakers rather than the usual single large drivers makes it possible, Yamaha claims, for the X90A to deliver more accurate sound localization that more closely resembles the performance of real in-ceiling speakers. The SURROUND:AI technology was developed initially for Yamaha's AV receivers, but the X90A marks its first appearance on a soundbar. It works by using artificial intelligence to analyse in real time the various sound elements (dialogue, score, ambient sounds, specific locational effects and so on) in any given movie scene, and then using that analysis to continually optimize the soundbar's audio staging. Yamaha is quick to add, too, that despite its AI foundation, SURROUND:AI has been carefully tuned by Yamaha's sound engineers; it's not just a machine's take on how something should sound! In fact, as you'd hope of a flagship soundbar from such a renowned audio brand as Yamaha, everything about the X90A has apparently been precision tuned – including the four newly designed full-range drivers found inside the main bar component. These new eye-shaped oval speakers have been engineered to deliver minimal distortion despite their slender profiles, as well as allegedly providing richer mid-range tones and high volume levels from fewer components to preserve sonic purity across the soundbar's frequency range. The 12 beam height speakers and four newly designed full-range speakers are additionally joined in the main bar by three dedicated tweeters to deliver cleaner, purer, more detail high frequency sounds. Turning to the external subwoofer that's part of the X90A package, this again features an all-new design that includes Yamaha's patented symmetrical flare port technology, where the sub's inlet and outlet ports use exactly the same shape and an internal plate carefully controls airflow to maintain symmetry, reducing the sort of distortions associated with air turbulence and speaker movement. In fact, Yamaha claims port noise is reduced by as much as 20dB compared to 'conventional designs', whatever those might be. The 'True X' rear speakers included in the X90A system are actually more than rear speakers, meanwhile. They're designed to be portable, and can be used as standalone stereo Bluetooth speakers anywhere in your home when they're not needed for surround channel movie duties. More signs of the X90A's premium positioning can be found, says Yamaha, in elements of its design such as its wide, precision-engineered table-top feet (though a wall-mount bracket is also included in the package), its acoustically optimized large aperture speaker grilles, and the system's generally high build quality. The main bar, in particular, is encased in a 1.6mm-thick metal housing. The X90A's built-in physical connections include an HDMI loop-through with eARC support, an optical audio input, while wireless connectivity is possible through MusicCast, AirPlay and Bluetooth. Last but not least on the True X Surround 90A's list of attractions is its support for Yamaha's proprietary MusicCast network system. This lets you easily link and control multiple MusicCast-capable components around your home using the dedicated MusicCast app. The Yamaha True X Surround 90A will go on sale in early September, priced at $3,499/£2,499. — Related Reading KEF Unveils Innovative New 'XIO' Soundbar With Exclusive Intelligent Placement Technology JBL Unveils New Soundbar Range—Including 16-Channel, 2,470W Flagship With Groundbreaking AI Sound Boost Technology Marshall Channels Its Rock Star Energy Into Its First Ever Soundbar
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Punisher's New Suit & Bearded Look Revealed in Set Photo
A photo from the upcoming Punisher television special set unveiled the new bearded look and suit of Jon Bernthal's infamous antihero. The special, which remains untitled at the time of this article's composition, was conceptualized when the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 was in production. Bernthal made an appearance there as Frank Castle / Punisher and will reprise the role in the upcoming MCU feature Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The Punisher gets new suit and look for Special Presentation Photographer Steve Sands took to his Instagram Stories to share the Punisher's new look in the untitled special presentation. In the photo, Frank has a full beard and a new suit. Notably, Bernthal penned the script for the special with Reinaldo Marcus Green, who is also serving as the director on the project. Green previously directed Monsters and Men (2018) and King Richard (2021). He most recently wrote and directed the 2024 biopic Bob Marley: One Love. On the small screen, Green directed and executive-produced the 2022 HBO miniseries We Own This City. The plot of the special presentation has been kept under wraps. Besides Bernthal, the cast includes Jason R. Moore as Curtis and Roe Rancell. Jon Bernthal's iteration of the Punisher previously appeared in the sophomore season of Daredevil, which initially started streaming on Netflix in 2016. Bernthal also portrayed the character on The Punisher, which streamed on Netflix for two seasons between 2017 and 2019. After a hiatus that lasted nearly six years, Bernthal returned as the Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again in 2025. As mentioned above, besides the special, the Punisher is also slated to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day alongside Tom Holland's Peter Parker / Spider-Man, Michael Mando's Mac Gargan / Scorpion, and Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner / Hulk. The special is likely to debut on Disney+ in 2026. Solve the daily Crossword
