Latest news with #seasonfinale
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Stranger Things Season 5 Release Strategy Released By Netflix And... Hmmm...
If you've ever been hooked on a tentpole Netflix series, the chances are you're already familiar with the concept of the platform's split seasons. For the past few years, the streaming giant has been releasing hit shows like Bridgerton, Emily In Paris and You in two batches one month apart, in an apparent bid to hold onto subscribers for longer. But for the upcoming Stranger Things finale, they're taking this one step further. The fifth and final season of the award-winning sci-fi series has been a long time coming, and on Sunday, Netflix finally revealed when fans will be able to watch the last instalments. 'Volume one' of season five will debut on Wednesday 26 November, with the second batch coming just under a month later, on Christmas Day. But that's not all – the actual finale isn't due to arrive until a week after that, premiering on New Year's Eve at 5pm Pacific time (which will be just as the clock strikes midnight at the arrival of 2026 here in the UK). The fight isn't over yet. Get ready for the epic series finale of Stranger 1: November 26, 5pm PT*Volume 2: Christmas, 5pm PT*The Finale: New Year's Eve, 5pm PT**releasing worldwide all at once, date may vary based on your local timezone # — Netflix (@netflix) June 1, 2025 And Netflix's decision to split Stranger Things into three separate parts has certainly raised eyebrows over on X… taking over 3 years to release a new season and then releasing it in 3 parts. this is actually ridiculous — v (@R1CHONNES) June 1, 2025 3 parts — . (@originaixsin) June 1, 2025 Ah yes, split into three parts during the bustiest times of the year. Exactly what everyone wants. — Gissane Sophia (@GissaneSophia) June 1, 2025 why does netflix always release eps in batches now dont piss me offff — clar (@clarnetwork) June 1, 2025 What . . Are these dates — 𝔫𝔬𝔠𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔫𝔞 (@deadarbok) June 1, 2025 Netflix will pay for releasing Stranger Things at 1am UK time — chlo ♡ (@gelphiethegood) June 1, 2025 they dragging the fuck outta this show — 🫧 (@lonenjoyer) June 1, 2025 waiting like 5 years for a show, and them dividing it into 3 parts???? lmao its such a joke?? — camila (@mirrorballcam) June 1, 2025 I don't watch Stranger Things, but surely it's insane to release the final ever episode on New Year's Eve - literally midnight on New Year's Eve in the UK! - when most people are a tad busy? Also, a month between the first two volumes & a week between the second & finale is wild — Stephanie Soteriou (@StephanieRiou) June 1, 2025 I'm a huge fan and was really disappointed it's not on Halloween or Stranger Things day. It's much more suited to spooky season — Rachel Bayne (@rachelbayne) June 2, 2025 What if instead of it coming out in 3 parts it came out in 8 and each part came out a week after the last one — Theseus' Dream of the 90s (@daftgirlpunk) June 1, 2025 I need every single person who works for Netflix and this show imprisoned. I am absolutely fucking fuming — The Twt Menace (@rjsmichonne2) June 1, 2025 'The fall' and it is fucking christmas — HAN ⨂ (@hanlovesryan) June 1, 2025 I miss the days when Netflix would release a whole season so everyone would just stay up to finish it — ✫彡𝔖𝔬𝔭𝔥𝔦𝔢 ✫彡 (@m0rgans___) June 1, 2025 I'm excited to see the Stranger Things kids get their PhDs in the upcoming season. — Adam Tisdale (@revtizzy) June 1, 2025 Despite the polarising release strategy, it's worth pointing out that many fans are excited for their final trip to Hawkins (even if they do need to do it in three parts)... My plan for this summer is rewatch the series so that I'm ready for this! #StrangerThings5https:// — Steph2Def (@Steph2Def) June 1, 2025 I need it to be November already😭😭😭 — 로템✡︎🎗️🍋 (@little_woobear) June 1, 2025 no one bother me November 26, Christmas, New Year's Eve — lewy. (@spcckyfucker) June 1, 2025 We will be there — ໊ (@PapiGing) June 1, 2025 literally made my whole day. — camila (@rcadsbetween) June 1, 2025 The most recent season of Stranger Things premiered in 2022, with the first half of the episodes dropping in May and the second coming in July. Stranger Things' fourth was notable as it led to a resurgence in popularity for Kate Bush's hit Running Up That Hill, which topped the UK singles chart almost 40 years after it was first released. The first four seasons of Stranger Things are available to stream now on Netflix ahead of the fifth run premiering at the end of 2025. Stranger Things Star Caleb McLaughlin Had The Perfect Response To The Long Wait For Season Five This Behind-The-Scenes Stranger Things Video Has Made Us Even More Excited For Season 5 Stranger Things Star Gaten Matarazzo Reveals 'Messed Up' Tweak He'd Make To The Show
Fast Company
5 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
‘Hacks' showrunner Lucia Aniello already knows how it ends
This week, Max's critically acclaimed comedy Hacks is concluding its fourth season. The show—which follows legendary Vegas comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her Gen Z comedy writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) as the two work together to turn Vance's career around and win new audiences—has already been renewed for a fifth season. For showrunner and co-creator Lucia Aniello, that's all part of the plan. She and co-creators Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky had a five-year arc planned even when pitching the show. Ahead of the season four finale, showrunner and co-creator Lucia Aniello came on the Most Innovative Companies podcast to talk about how she approaches writing, directing, and producing; how the show helps up-and-coming writers break into the industry; and why she doesn't mind working with her husband. Hacks season four is ending this week. Do you feel a lot of pressure to stick the landing? For better or worse, I feel the same amount of stress and anxiety making the show now as I did season one. At that point, there was a different stress and anxiety [because we were thinking] can we even make this show? Will anybody ever watch it? Will people like it? Then the next stress of season two was sophomore album vibes, and then season three was… will people continue to watch the show? It continues. It never feels less stressful to me. It morphs into a new different anxiety that's the exact same amount This show has changed every season. Season one, we're in Vegas, here's what the show is. Season two is on the road. Season three is this quest for late night. And now we are in season four actually making late-night TV. So it always has to evolve, but the question of how much does it evolve versus how much you just stick with what people love is a constant delicate balance and battle. Hacks was also renewed for season five this week. You and your co-creators have said you'll end the show after five seasons. When did you realize that was going to be the case? We pitched five seasons. Even in the pitch of the whole series, we pitched the very last scene, the finale. [WarnerMedia vice president of original comedy and animation] Suzanna Makkos, who bought the show, stopped us before we got there. She was like, you don't have to pitch anymore. I'm going to buy the show. You're a director, a writer, and a producer on this show. How do you balance those three roles? In a weird way, it's all one role. It's really about the story. You are figuring it out with your brilliant staff together. You're using the best ideas that everyone's contributing. Producing the idea is figuring out we want to spend the budget. As a director, you're basically taking the story that you want to tell and you're [dividing] it up into a million pieces—every take, every side that you're shooting, all of that stuff, and you're parsing it out, whether it's everything from wall color to costumes to the casting, to all of those things. Then when you get into post, you sew it all back up and you try to make it the best version of that original idea. I haven't in my career directed a lot of things where I wasn't at least part of the writer's room for. That's not to say that I don't think that a lot of people can take those things and elevate it, but for me, it's really a cohesive story. There's a billion calculations constantly, but if I didn't have the writing, producing, directing hats on all at once, I wouldn't be able to assess it as well as I do. Your husband, Paul W. Downs, is a cocreator of the show. He also acts in it and you're in the writer's room together. What's that been like? Paul and I met doing improv comedy at UCB. We didn't start dating immediately. We were just friends. We did a lot of improv together over the years in New York. That's how we got to know each other, Improv is a very supportive community. Literally, it's 'yes, and' and trying to make the other person better by agreeing and getting on board and trying to make them look as good as possible. So in a weird way, all relationships should start doing improv together because you learn to be a team. I am his number one fan, and I have been since the first day I saw him perform. I love writing for him. He directed three episodes of this season. I did five or six. We're together so much. We work so much. If we weren't also married, I would never see him because we were working so much at the time. So it's actually a marriage saver in a lot of ways. How do you create an inclusive culture in your writers room? I haven't really come up in traditional writers' rooms. Jen Statsky, one of the show's co-creators and showrunners, worked in late-night, then The Good Place, and came up through the writer's ladder. But Paul and I came from a DIY background. We made a lot of videos, we made web series, then we worked on Broad City where we wrote and directed on all five seasons. What made Broad City a unique thing was it didn't feel like people who necessarily made a lot of TV made that show, but in a way that made it feel fresh. Between our untraditional background and her more traditional background, I like to think we have a pretty good respectful room. More than one of our writer's assistants have been hired into our writer's room. We've had editors direct. We really try to promote from within. That's not to say that we're perfect by any means, but we are conscious of trying to foster a healthy environment and pipeline for people. There is inherently a power dynamic when you are the boss. I was friends with a lot of people before hiring them. It puts a weird power imbalance in those relationships, which I don't love. But on the other hand, I love hiring people I'm friends with and I think are so great. I think I've come to terms with the fact that there is a text thread that I'm not on, and they might talk about going to see a movie together. And they did go to a Sound bath last week and they didn't let me know, and that's fine. The WGA released a stat that TV writing jobs declined by 42% in recent years. Every day I read about how writers are not able to get jobs in writers' rooms or don't have access to residuals anymore. What advice do you give aspiring writers or people who want to break into the industry? It's a brutal time, especially in comedy. Personally, I started on Broad City, which is a Comedy Central show. I made a mini series at Comedy Central called Time Traveling Bong. I worked on another Comedy Central show, Nora from Queens. Those not only paid me but they helped me get better at my job. That network doesn't exist anymore. That was almost like eight years of my life and other people behind me don't get to have that. When I look at who's just churning out comedies, there isn't really a place to do it. I am concerned for the comedy pipeline in terms of people getting experience and breaking out. I am lucky enough that I do hire writers. Some people we hire because they make really funny videos, and sometimes we might read a spec that is really good, or sometimes it's just a standup who we think is really funny. Recently there's somebody who just runs a very funny Instagram and Twitter– I asked her if she had a spec and I read it. It can come from anywhere. Somebody can make a short film that is really good. Doron Max Hagay did an incredibly funny short film called Marina Tire. I didn't know him but I saw the short and we loved it. He was the only guest director that we had this season on Hacks. That was literally just from seeing his short film on Vimeo or whatever because a friend of mine had posted it. It's so random how you can get that break. I would say whatever format seems most natural for your voice, do that. If that can get in front of people, that's all that matters.
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Elisabeth Moss Breaks Down ‘The Handmaid's Tale' Series Finale
Elisabeth Moss breaks down the series finale for 'The Handmaid's Tale' on Hulu. This article contains spoilers. Elisabeth Moss was all smiles in an in-person interview before the sixth and final season of the award-winning Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale, when she promised fans a 'wild ride.' She kept her word. Just when you think June Osborne has been pushed beyond the point of no return, she's tested in ways even she couldn't have seen coming. The ten-episode season certainly delivered and stayed true to Margaret Atwood's bestselling novel and Bruce Miller's television adaptation. Throughout the seasons, Miller has ardently stayed true to Atwood's book, saying before this season premiered that the show's ending would not be what he felt the audience wanted, but what he thought June would get. "I tried to be as realistic about how far June could get if she pushed. We've followed June for so long, and we want to see what the Handmaid can achieve before her tale ends.' Elisabeth Moss breaks down the series finale for Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale.' Executive producer Warren Littlefield told me there were many discussions on how to end the beloved series. 'We wanted to reward the audience who followed this treacherous journey and give them a sense of satisfaction. This show was always about hope and determination.' Their methods worked. Since its 2017 premiere, the show has been nominated for over 75 awards and won 15 Primetime Emmys, including awards for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress for Moss, and supporting acting categories. In the finale, the viewer is privy to the beginning of the end of the war as Handmaids and Marthas are finally free in some regions, June reunites with Emily, knows Moira made it out, parts ways amicably with Luke, makes peace with Serena, and sees her beloved friend Janine set free with her daughter, Charlotte. There is, however, a very important loose end: June and Luke are not reunited with their daughter, Hannah. This sets up the perfect lead into the sequel, The Testaments, which will be based on Atwood's follow-up novel of the same name. 'If there wasn't going to be a sequel, we may have ended it differently," admitted Moss, referring to Hannah remaining in Gilead. 'The Testaments is centered around Hannah and her story.' Moss confirmed she will executive produce the sequel, but when we spoke, she said scheduling conflicts prevented her from acting or directing. She did, however, hint that the future isn't written in stone. 'Maybe one day… Hopefully, if we get a second season. June's not dead, and she has a lot of fight left in her, and there's a war to be won. We know that June will never give up on Hannah. She has work to do. She won a battle, but she hasn't won the war. And she has not gotten her daughter out. Her battle will never be over until that happens.' Elisabeth Moss and Max Minghella in 'The Handmaid's Tale' on Hulu. Moss hinted in that initial interview that the love triangle between June, Nick, and Luke would be 'smashed" this season. Episode nine, entitled 'Execution,' written by Eric Tuchman, ends with one of the series' most heartbreaking scenes. When Moss first read the script, she asked to direct the episode. In a follow-up interview, she described killing off two of her favorite characters, Max Mighella's Nick and Bradley Whitford's Commander Joseph Lawrence, in a fiery plane crash, as something that had to happen for a few reasons. 'I know fans would love the version where they all live in Hawaii together and have this blended family, but if you saw that episode, you would tear us apart. We'd never live it down. Fans would kill us. It had to happen. I love that Nick and Lawrence get on that plane for different reasons. They're both examples of June's greatest and worst quality, which is her belief that somebody (Lawrence) will do the right thing. She believes Nick will do the right thing, but he doesn't. There's such beautiful poetry in that writing.' Though her relationship with Nick has a definitive ending, June and Luke left things open-ended. 'I didn't want it to be about which man she ended up with. I wanted it to be about her journey as a woman, a mom, a friend, and a Handmaid. I didn't want her to have to choose which one. I didn't want it to be about that. I think there's a possibility of June and Luke having a future together, but they'd have to start over.' When asked to describe the relationship between June and Serena, Moss explained how similar the two women are. 'They're an incredible example of two women with the same goal: to have a safe future for their children. They somehow wound up on opposite sides of the aisle and the argument. I don't excuse Serena's behavior and the terrible things she's done. They're inexcusable. I don't think it's possible to forgive her, but June's generosity and kindness lie in the fact that she sees that Serena needs that forgiveness more than it costs June to give it away." Moss adds that June also forgives Serena for the sake of her son, Noah. 'I feel they're standing right next to each other in the same boat. I think that they're the greatest friendship on the show. They're also the great hero and villain of the show, but that's not how I view them. I view them as the great love story of the show.' Moss describes their relationship as one of the most interesting in the show. "They do love each other. If love is truly understanding somebody and loving them despite every invitation not to, and understanding who somebody is, that's June and Serena. Nobody knows Serena better than June does. She was able to love her despite everything that she's done. I think that's incredibly beautiful.' Elisabeth Moss discussed becoming a mother and how she always understood June Osborne. When asked how becoming a mom in real life impacted her performance, Moss said that though she felt things on a different level, she always understood June. 'It's been an interesting journey. I've always felt like I understood what June feels and that she needs to survive for her daughters. I've always felt like that was what the show was about from the first episode to the last. I've never felt like I didn't understand her," she explained, adding, 'I had a more palpable emotional feeling I tapped into. Being a mom and having a child undoubtedly added a more visceral feeling.' She was quick to clarify that many actors who aren't parents do a wonderful job portraying mothers and fathers. 'I did it for years. I made a career out of it," she said. "It's about relating to feelings of love, attachment, and wanting to protect someone you love. We can all identify with that. I don't think you must be a mom to understand what that feels like.' Moss described the last six weeks of filming as some of the most intense, physically challenging, and rewarding days of her career. 'To be at the helm of this has truly changed my life professionally and personally. I became a producer, a director, and then I became a mom. Bringing this show to a close was a level of meta that is difficult to describe.' To prepare for the final scene, Elisabeth Moss rewatched the first episode of Hulu's 'The Handmaid's ... More Tale.' Here she's with Margaret Atwood. Moss was dedicated to getting the finale right, and she followed her gut instincts when it came to that final scene, which involved 15 varying takes. June returns to the Waterfords' burnt-out shell of a house, where she spent years imprisoned as a Handmaid, and goes to her old room. 'I'm a director who likes options. I had a few versions of that ending. Originally, the final scene was written with June walking up to the steps of the house and sitting outside. I asked Bruce if she could go inside and if the house's interior could be rebuilt. I wanted her to go up to her room because that's where The Handmaid's Tale is written. That's where the opening lines of the book and show are said.' June looks directly into the camera defiantly and says, 'A chair, a table, a name is Offred.' The viewer understands she is going to tell her story. Moss rewatched the 2017 pilot episode, in which June says these same words, to ensure she got it exactly right. 'As we set up that final shot, I realized I had to memorize the speech in the cadence I said it in the first episode. I logged onto my Hulu account, watched that scene over and over, and memorized how I said it. There's an eeriness because subconsciously, it felt like I was listening to the original recording.' Moss did several versions. 'In one take, it's a voiceover. There's one where I don't say it at all. There's one where I say it out loud, which is what you see in the show. There were only two takes of the one you see.' Concluding a series of this caliber is no easy feat. As Moss acknowledged, it's impossible to please millions of fans, but she's happy with how it turned out. 'I cannot imagine a more perfect ending. This is what I think makes the most sense. It feels right.'
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang breaks silence on why he was so emotional during season 50 finale
Bowen Yang has responded to speculation he is leaving Saturday Night Live after he was caught on camera saying an emotional goodbye to fellow cast member Sarah Sherman. During the final moments of the season finale last week, Yang and Sherman could be seen hugging closely before looking at each other sadly - both appearing to have tears in their eyes. The 34-year-old has since defended the emotional moment, explaining he was 'processing' that the season was actually over. 'I think you get to a point at where you understand that you're on the downswing of things. I think I was just processing that being one of the last "last nights" that I would have, and that is a huge thing,' Yang told Entertainment Weekly. He added that he always has a similar response during the show's season finale. 'Every finale at goodnights something leaves my body because I'm just relieved from all that happened in that season and this was a big one,' he continued. 'We went through a lot, so many fun memories. I think that was probably what was registering. I was just like, oh, I need to savor these moments before I don't have them anymore,' he added. However, the actor and podcaster avoided giving a straight answer to whether or not he will be returning for Season 51. 'No, we're not doing that,' he coyly responded, refusing to answer the question. Fans were horrified by the prospect of the fan-favorite leaving, taking to social media to share their disappointment. 'If Bowen's actually leaving I don't know how to feel. On one hand, I will always miss him on the show. On the other hand, he's had one of the most successful SNL careers of this era and it would be an appropriate time if he wants to pursue other things (we all know how it was with Wicked),' one user wrote. 'It looked like Bowen was having long heartfelt hugs with everyone so he's my only guess to be leaving. Would explain some of the sketches they did for him,' shared another. Someone else wrote: 'Okay upon waking up and seeing the full goodnights I think we worked ourselves up over nothing for a chunk of the SNL cast but Bowen is definitely gone…' 'Okay him waving though… it really feels like Bowen's leaving,' another agreed. Yang started at SNL in 2018 as a writer, and was promoted to a cast member the year after. The podcast host and actor recently starred in the Wedding Banquet and Wicked, and will be seen on big screens again later in the year with Wicked: For Good. Fans were horrified by the prospect of the fan-favorite leaving, taking to social media to share their disappointment Thank you, Scarlett Johansson, Bad Bunny, Mike Myers, and RaiNao! Goodnight! — Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) May 18, 2025 Bad Bunny, 31, was the musical guest for the season 50 finale, alongside host Scarlett Johansson, 40, and Mike Myers, 61. It wasn't just Yang's tearful goodbye that was noticed by viewers. During the closing segment, comedian and long-running cast member Colin Jost popped into frame and handed his wife the flowers before stealing a sweet onscreen kiss. Fans went wild on social media for the smooch, raving about the romantic moment between the couple. 'Omg, I'm in tears, Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost on SNL,' one person said. 'Power couple energy on full display,' said another. 'They always bring great energy together,' a third person said. 'I hate how I can tell how deep in love they are just by this kiss,' someone else wrote. The actress, who shares a three-year-old son, Cosmo, with her husband, broke a record as she became the first woman to host the show seven times.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Is ‘SNL' New Tonight? ‘Saturday Night Live' 2025 Schedule, Host, Streaming Info
It's season finale time over at Saturday Night Live as the venerable sketch series prepares to end its historic 50th season. The last SNL episode of the season always leads to a hotbed of speculation about the show's future. We obviously know that Saturday Night Live will be back for Season 51, but how many of the current cast members will still be on the show when it does? Jon Lovitz voice: Intrigue! Decider's Jesse Hassenger recently made a few predictions about which cast members will be exiting the series, with his final guesses being Colin Jost, Michael Che, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim. There's been a lot of online chatter about Jost and Che potentially leaving SNL/Weekend Update, and it should be noted that Scarlett Johansson, Jost's wife, is hosting the season finale. We'll just have to wait and see! Here's how to watch the season finale of SNL on NBC and Peacock. Yes! Tonight is the Season 50 finale of SNL. This week's season finale will be hosted by Scarlett Johansson. Bad Bunny returns to 8H as the musical guest. You can watch Saturday Night Live on NBC or (with a valid cable login). You can also stream the long-running sketch series live or on demand with an active subscription to Sling TV, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV, Peacock, or YouTube TV. All of the aforementioned services offer an NBC live stream. FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV provide free trials for new subscribers. You can also watch SNL live and on demand on Peacock. The Scarlett Johansson-hosted episode will be available for on-demand streaming beginning Sunday, May 18.
