Love Story is the highly publicised courtship of JFK. Jr. and Carolyn Bassette, through 1990s NY until their untimely demise. It’s bound to be a heart-swelling weepy, so grab a hanky as we explain below how to watch Love Story online from anywhere.

Can I watch Love Story for free?

The first three episodes will air on FX from Thursday, February 12 at 9pm ET/PT, with one new episode arriving each week thereafter.

You can watch Love Story for free via the YouTube TV 10-day free trial.

Currently overseas? A VPN will allow you to make the most of your free trial no matter what country you’re streaming from.

How to watch YouTube TV from anywhere

If you're a US citizen on vacation or working overseas, you can still watch Love Story online just as you would at home. Use a VPN – NordVPN works best and is currently on offer with over 70% off some plans!

Love Story Trailer

Love Story Cast

• Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
• Paul Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr.
• Naomi Watts as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
• Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy
• Leila George as Kelly Klein
• Noah Fearnley as Michael Bergin
• Sydney Lemmon as Lauren Bessette
• Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein
• Omari K. Chancellor as Gordon Henderson
• Constance Zimmer as Ann Messina Freeman
• Dree Hemingway as Daryl Hannah
• Erich Bergen as Anthony Radziwiłł
• Michael Nathanson as Michael Berman
• Ben Shenkman as Ed Schlossberg

Love Story Episode Release Schedule (US, CA)

• Love Story – Episode 1: Thursday, February 12
• Love Story – Episode 2: Thursday, February 12
• Love Story – Episode 3: Thursday, February 12
• Love Story – Episode 4: Thursday, February 19
• Love Story – Episode 5: Thursday, February 26
• Love Story – Episode 6: Thursday, March 5
• Love Story – Episode 7: Thursday, March 12
• Love Story – Episode 8: Thursday, March 19
• Love Story – Episode 9: Thursday, March 26

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Look, let me get this out right away, The Bear on Hulu (or Disney Plus in the UK) is a phenomenal show and it’s certainly a series worth gold hardware. However, with the 2025 Emmy nominations being announced on July 15, and the FX series receiving 13 Emmy nominations in total in comedy categories, I find myself once again beating the same drum I’ve been beating for a while — The Bear is not a comedy.

I’ve been watching The Bear from the very beginning, and I’ve loved every minute of it. The show has a unique premise, Jeremy Allen White and company deliver phenomenal scenes, the dramatic tension created by dynamic dialogue is top-notch and it has everything you want in a binge-worthy series. But it isn’t funny to me. Yes, I’ve chuckled sparingly here and there over the seasons, but not enough to the point where I could conceivably justify The Bear continuing to receive multiple comedy nominations at the Emmys.

And I’m a person who is a fan of dry and dark comedy. I enjoyed Weeds, Dead to Me, Beef, Atlanta and Shameless; but unlike The Bear, these shows had considerably more funny moments.

With all that being said, I do believe The Bear is deserving of Emmy recognition, just not of the comedic variety. I think that next year, when it’s time for nominations, the series should do something that Shameless did back in 2014.

When the US version of Shameless was originally rolled out in 2011, it was marketed to awarding bodies as a drama. It made sense on paper as the series focused on the hard knocks of one family and the unscrupulous lengths the father went to in order to preserve his own status quo of alcoholism and drug abuse.

However, even though the series was serious in premise and had multiple scenes that made me tear up, the dramatic moments were almost evenly balanced with scenes chock-full of laughter. Which is why it was completely understandable that the powers that be officially began classifying Shameless as a comedy instead of a drama in 2014.

If in new seasons, The Bear continues striking the same tone it has in previous ones, those behind the show should consider officially making a change and submitting it in the drama category to future award bodies. Essentially, doing the opposite of what Shameless did.

Now I’m not sure if that means longer episodes of The Bear would have to be created at that point to fit the typical length of a US drama, but I’d be up for more The Bear.

I tend to think Hollywood as a whole could benefit from the switch. Think about the potential nominations some comedies could get if The Bear weren’t scooping up many of them. I could even make an argument that Hacks or Abbott Elementary would possibly have more wins at the Emmys if not for The Bear, but I digress.

On a final note, it’s worth reiterating that The Bear is a great show, it’s deserving of its award wins. I just would like these wins to take place in the drama categories.

You can catch up with all episodes of The Bear on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.

The summer season is upon us. While the summer blockbuster movie season gets much of the hype, TV doesn't take the summer off, as there are plenty of enticing and exciting TV shows (new and returning) for people to watch as they try to beat the heat. We here at What to Watch certainly has a number of shows that we can't wait to dive into.

Along with my What to Watch colleagues Sarabeth Pollock and Terrell Smith, we have put together a list of 17 summer TV shows that we're most excited to tune in for and/or binge this summer ranging across streaming services and cable channels. All shows are premiering from Memorial Day weekend through August (even though those later shows will likely bleed a little bit into the fall TV season).

No need to keep you waiting, let's dive into the summer TV shows that we are most excited to watch this year.

Rick and Morty season 8 (May 25, Adult Swim)

The first summer TV show to premiere is none other than the latest adventures of Rick and Morty. The mad scientist, his grandson and the rest of the Smith family will once again traverse the galaxy and multiverse for our entertainment.

Rick and Morty season 7 proved that the show was capable of still being both hilarious and thought provoking despite the exit of Justin Roiland, so the expectations for Rick and Morty season 8 are sky high for the fan-favorite animated series. — Michael Balderston

And Just Like That season 3 (May 29, Max)

I never watched Sex and the City while it was airing, but I was definitely familiar with the story of four friends living fabulous lives in New York City. It was a cultural touchstone for a generation of viewers who dreamed of shoes and Cosmos and living in a luxurious apartment on a writer’s salary.

All it took for me was a week-long binge and I was hooked on the original series, so it’s not surprising that I wanted to see what happened with Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristen Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) at a different point in their lives in And Just Like That.

In And Just Like That season 3, fans will finally learn whether Carrie and Aidan (John Corbett) are going to stick to their long distance relationship, while Charlotte continues to navigate life with her teens and Miranda figures out what makes her happy. I’m ready to escape to New York this summer! — Sarabeth Pollock

Dept. Q (May 29, Netflix)

At least as of publication, I’m not sure whether or not we’re getting Slow Horses season 5 this summer (Apple TV Plus is expected to release it before the end of the year, but an exact premiere date has not been set). Thankfully, Netflix will have an enticing new series to sate my wisecracking law enforcement officer quota, as Matthew Goode stars as a Scottish detective put in charge of a new division tasked with solving Edinburgh’s toughest cold cases in Dept. Q.

Adding to the intrigue, the series is directed by the creator/director of The Queen’s Gambit, Scott Frank. Say hello to one of my Netflix binges of the summer. — Michael Balderston

Love Island USA season 7 (June 3, Peacock)

After Love Island USA season 6 left quite the impression on viewers (me included) as arguably the best in the history of the franchise, how could I not be excited for Love Island USA season 7. This summer guilty pleasure is fun to watch as unsuspecting men and women in their 20s flock to Fiji in search of love (and the monetary prize). Now ordinarily, I question all reality TV dating shows in terms of whether real romance can be found. However, Love Island USA seemingly has a pretty solid track record. Heck, the PPG couples from Love Island USA season 6 are still together if social media is to be believed.

With all that being said, season 7 has some big shoes to fill. While Ariana Madix is returning to hosting duties, a whole new crop of Islanders will be front and center, and they have the hard task of entertaining fans like their season 6 predecessors. —Terrell Smith

Stick (June 4, Apple TV Plus)

Does Apple TV Plus have another Ted Lasso on its hands? Too soon to tell, but Stick has a few things going for it that the comparison could prove apt.

Owen Wilson stars in the sports comedy as a washed up golf pro who discovers a young phenom and attempts to help develop his game to become a star. While the supporting cast of actors is strong (Judy Greer, Marc Maron, Mariana Treviño), the show also features cameos from some of the top golfers in the game today, as well as legendary broadcaster Jim Nantz.

I’m a golf fan, so I’m definitely interested, but Stick could have some appeal to non-golfers as well. — Michael Balderston

Ginny & Georgia season 3 (June 5, Netflix)

Ginny & Georgia season 2 ended on quite the interesting note, with Georgia (Brianne Howey) being hauled away from her marriage reception in handcuffs. In Ginny & Georgia season 3, she’s set to face off in court for the murder of Cynthia’s (Sabrina Grdevich) husband. While Georgia is in fact guilty of a mercy killing, I have a sneak suspicion she’ll once again be saved from prison. However, I just don’t know how that comes about, so I’ll be watching.

It should also prove interesting to see how Ginny (Antonia Gentry) deals with a murderous scarlett letter on her mother’s chest. The teen already had some coming-of-age issues, so trying to stand beside her mother during a criminal case of this magnitude could push her to a whole new level of stress. — Terrell Smith

The Real Housewives of Miami season 7 (June 11, Peacock)

Since The Real Housewives of Miami was resuscitated on Peacock before returning to Bravo, I’ve argued with friends that the reality TV show is arguably the second-best Housewives series on the air, behind The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. The ladies in South Beach really know how to bring the drama in a way that feels less contrived and slightly less toxic. Don’t get me wrong, the arguments among the group can be completely ridiculous at times, but that’s part of what makes the show so entertaining.

The Real Housewives of Miami season 7 could prove to be the best yet, as it appears some alliances are shifting, some romances are ending and the former girlfriend of Nicole’s fiancé Anthony has joined the cast. — Terrell Smith

The Gilded Age season 3 (June 22, HBO)

A friend’s mother recommended The Gilded Age, so I watched it and was immediately captivated. I love history, and the HBO show is like an American history book come to life — with a side of Real Housewives thanks to its high fashion and even higher drama.

The Gilded Age season 3 continues the story of the socialites living the high life in the New York City of yore. After the fallout from the Opera War, the influential families continue vying for power and influence in an ever-changing world.

Though it’s historical fiction, The Gilded Age reminds us that people in that era weren’t so different from us. They’re all trying to figure out where they fit in an ever-changing world. — Sarabeth Pollock

Ironheart (June 24, Disney Plus)

The Ironheart trailer may not be getting a lot of love over on YouTube (for reasons I won't comment on), but it’s a series on my radar this summer. Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams was thrilling to watchin her Marvel debut, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She’s the legacy of Tony Stark’s Iron Man, broaching hero status from a completely different perspective for a variety of reasons, which can add a fresh take in the MCU.

Also adding to my excitement is Anthony Ramos starring in the series as The Hood. Ramos has grown to be a bonafide star in Hollywood, having appeared in In the Heights, Hamilton and She’s Gotta Have It. So my interest is piqued in how Ramos will portray the MCU villain. — Terrell Smith

The Bear season 4 (June 25, FX on Hulu)

By the time that The Bear season 4 premieres on Hulu it will have been a year since The Bear season 3, but somehow it’s felt longer as fans of the series have patiently been waiting to find out what the review for the restaurant says and how the personal and work relationships between our favorite group of chefs turn out.

The Bear dances on the line between comedy (I definitely feel there are some genuinely funny moments, most notably from the Fak family) and drama, but one thing remains true that this is one of the best shows on TV and is a must-watch whenever new episodes are available. — Michael Balderston

Smoke (June 27, Apple TV Plus)

As we’ve highlighted a few times on this list already, crime drama fans are going to have some good options to watch this summer. Another example is the new Apple TV Plus series Smoke, which stars Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett as two investigators following in the footsteps of a pair of serial arsonists.

Best-selling author of Shutter Island, Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone, Dennis Lehane created Smoke, so at the minimum I have high hopes for the show’s writing. But Egerton has also quietly churned out consistently enjoyable projects, like Carry-On, Tetris and Black Bird. Can Smoke keep things going? — Michael Balderston

Squid Game season 3 (June 27, Netflix)

Squid Game season 3 will serve as the series’ last, so I’ll be glued to my screen, watching every episode, dubbed and all (don’t judge me for not soldiering through subtitles). I just have to know if Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) has what it takes to dismantle the deadly game.

In Squid Game season 2, the series ended with Seong pinned down and his team of rebels seemingly on their way to meet a deadly end. However, with a whole new rollout of episodes on the way, I have to believe they may find a way to survive. Plus, Seong still has his team on the outside working to find him, so perhaps a last-minute save will be in the works. — Terrell Smith

Nautilus (June 29, AMC)

I’ve never read Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, but I’m very familiar with Disney’s version featuring Kirk Douglas. The Nautilus series was meant to premiere on Disney Plus, but the deal fell through and the series eventually landed at AMC.

Nautilus is the story of Captain Nemo (Shazad Latif) and his futuristic vessel, the Nautilus. He wants revenge against the tyrannical East India Mercantile Company who stole everything from him. As their former prisoner, the East India Mercantile Company wants the Indian Prince back in custody after he not only escapes prison but steals the Nautilus as well.

To be honest, I can’t even begin to imagine how this story will come to life as a series, but I’m very excited to see it. As a science fiction fan, Verne’s story is the cream of the crop and this could be the biggest surprise of the summer. — Sarabeth Pollock

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 (July 17, Paramount Plus)

After a musical episode that tore the house down in season 2, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 is set to up the ante with bigger and bolder adventures. There’s some unfinished business to be addressed in the new season after the crew of the USS Enterprise encountered one of the most feared alien species in the universe: the Gorn.

During a special sneak peek at San Diego Comic Con in 2024, fans were treated to a clip featuring several members of the crew transforming into Vulcans for an important mission. Pike (Anson Mount) is quick to point out that there will be 4.5 Vulcans on the mission, as Ethan Peck’s Spock is half human.

What I love about Strange New Worlds is how it’s a return to the story-of-the-week format as seen in other series in the franchise. As a lifelong Star Trek fan, I love how the show honors canon while charting its own course. — Sarabeth Pollock

Wednesday season 2 (August 6, Netflix)

Wednesday had me eating out its hand (no, not Thing’s) the moment I saw Jenna Ortega doing the now infamous dance. The inaugural season of the series was creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky, but best of all, it was entertaining. I completely understand why Ortega earned an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for the role.

I’m expecting good things from Wednesday season 2, as rumor has it (from Netflix), more of the Addams family will be showcased, including Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) who becomes a student along with Wednesday at Nevermore Academy. I suspect it will be must-watch TV (well, streaming) to see the sibling dynamic play out in school, along with how Pugsly adjusts to his new classmates and “power.” Oh, and make way for Grandmama (Joanna Lumley) as she storms the show in season 2. — Terrell Smith

Alien: Earth (August 12, FX)

In space, no one can hear you scream. But on Earth, it’s a whole different matter. With Alien: Earth, for the first time we are getting a TV series based on the legendary sci-fi franchise Alien, and to cap it all out we are switching from the usual space location to our own planet.

Noah Hawley, the Emmy-winning creator of Fargo, is certainly going to bring his own spin to the franchise, but at its heart it seems that we’re also going a number of staples — an unsuspecting crew forced to reckon with one of the most perfect killing machines and, in the mold of Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, a tough female lead (Sydney Chandler). — Michael Balderston

Dexter: Resurrection (TBD, Paramount Plus with Showtime)

At first there was Dexter, the story of the serial killer with a strict moral code. Then came various spinoffs and a prequel, but in Dexter: Resurrection the story continues with Michael C. Hall set to return to the titular role. Following the events of 2021’s Dexter: New Blood, Dexter is back, we think. It’s hard to say because all evidence pointed to his death at the end of New Blood, yet he’s supposedly coming back for more.

Not knowing is part of the allure. These days there is so much information about new shows and there’s not much known about Resurrection at all, aside from the fact that Hall is returning and so are original series stars David Zayas and James Remar. New Blood’s Jack Alcott will once again play Dexter’s son, Harrison.

For now I'm going to do a re-watch of the original series to get ready for the new show. It’s gory, humorous, sentimental and dramatic all rolled into one. I'm eager to see what happens as the franchise continues. — Sarabeth Pollock

The longest-running sitcom in American TV history returns for another season, as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 brings the gang back together.

Having officially been on air for 20 years (the show premiered back in 2005), It’s Always Sunny remains a fan favorite, but is also continuing to expand its audience, as it recently had a crossover episode in Abbott Elementary season 4. That episode was shown from Abbott’s perspective, but in this new season, we get to see how that played out from the Sunny crew’s point of view.

That’s just one thing to look forward to with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17. Read on below for more information on the latest season.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 release date

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's is new on Wednesday, August 6, at 9 pm ET/PT on FX and FXX.

You can watch It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia live on FX/FXX if you have a traditional pay-TV provider or live TV streaming services that carry the cable channel, including Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV. You can also watch the show on demand on Hulu.

For those in the UK, we’re waiting to confirm UK premiere plans for It’s Always Sunny season 17, but past seasons of the show are streaming on Netflix.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 cast

The whole gang is back for season 17, with Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson and Danny Devito up to even more antics.

While It’s Always Sunny truly launched the careers of Day, Howerton, McElhenney and Olson, they have also been able to do other projects while keeping things rolling on the FX series.

Day has appeared in a number of movies, most recently I Want You Back and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. He is also set to star in the upcoming movie Summer of 69.

Howerton recently received wide acclaim for a dramatic turn in the indie movie BlackBerry.

McElhenney has starred in the Apple TV Plus series Mythic Quest, which unfortunately was recently cancelled, but has also made headlines teaming with Ryan Reynolds to co-own the Wrexham AFC football club in Wales, the journey of which is chronicled in the FX docuseries Welcome to Wrexham.

Olson, meanwhile, stars in the new ABC crime drama High Potential, which received good reviews and has already been picked up for High Potential season 2.

DeVito, of course, is a Hollywood legend, having starred in favorites like Batman Returns, Matilda and, more recently, Migration.

As of right now, the only other notable cast members that we know about are the Abbott Elementary cast that will appear as part of the crossover episode. That is likely to include Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, Sheryl Lee Ralph and William Stanford Davis.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 plot

Here is the synopsis for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17:

“Seventeen seasons on, Ronald 'Mac' MacDonald, Charlie Kelly, Dennis Reynolds, Dee Reynolds and Frank Reynolds return to shamelessly shed their ‘niche’ label for grander aspirations.

“They’ll exploit cross-network promotion to increase their market share; they’ll scapegoat one of their own to avoid a PR backlash; they’ll risk everything for a handshake with the Saudis; they’ll bend the laws with side hustles to pad their pockets; and they’ll change everything about themselves to appeal to a broader audience.

“And sure, like any corporate goon, the Gang craves money and parasitic social privileges. That’s been plain since 2005. But they’re also human beings. They crave love… respect… conditional freedom… constant adulation… histrionic amounts of attention… non-stop gratification… and unfiltered, slaphappy eroticism.

“In season 17, they’ll chase them all down.

“And the money. Obviously, the money. They don’t want to spend the rest of their lives working like dogs.”

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 trailer

Watch the official trailer for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 right here:

If the title Dying for Sex alone wasn’t enough to pique your interest in watching this new FX comedy series, then perhaps knowing Oscar nominee Michelle Williams is making her return to TV with the show will.

In this new comedy, inspired by the real story of Molly Kochan, Williams portrays Kochan as she tries to explore her sexual desires now knowing she has Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. That requires her to step outside of her comfort zone, which isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Thankfully she has her best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate) to aid her.

Here’s everything we know about Dying for Sex.

Dying for Sex release date

All episodes of Dying for Sex premiere on Hulu on Friday, April 4, in the US. In the UK, the episodes become available to stream on Disney Plus on the same day.

Those hoping to watch episodes of the show need a subscription to either Hulu with Live TV, the Disney Plus Bundle or the standalone Hulu service. In the UK, you’ll need a subscription to Disney Plus.

Dying for Sex plot

Here’s the official synopsis for Dying for Sex:

"FX’s Dying for Sex is inspired by the true story of Molly Kochan, originally shared on a Wondery podcast created with her best friend, Nikki Boyer.

"After Molly (Michelle Williams) receives a diagnosis of Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, she decides to leave her husband, Steve (Jay Duplass), and begins to explore the full breadth and complexity of her sexual desires for the first time in her life. She gets the courage and support to go on this adventure from her best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate), who stays by her side until the very end. Also joining the cast are Rob Delaney, Kelvin Yu, David Rasche, Esco Jouléy and Sissy Spacek."

Dying for Sex cast

Again, leading the series is Michelle Williams. The acclaimed actress is quite the force in Hollywood, having earned Oscar nominations for projects like The Fabelmans, Manchester by the Sea and Blue Valentine. On the TV side, she earned an Emmy for her performance in Fosse/Verdon and of course she was a staple in the coming-of-age drama Dawson’s Creek.

Williams is joined by Jenny Slate (The Electric State), Rob Delaney (Bad Monkey), Jay Duplass (Pain Hustlers), Kelvin Yu (The Great North) and the incomparable Sissy Spacek (Bloodline).

Dying for Sex trailer

Check out the trailer for Dying for Sex below. It’s clear from the clip that this is one bucket list journey that will come with several laughs.

The fall 2024 TV season has been exciting, but a fan theory about one of the buzziest new shows is taking things to a whole new level thanks to a Ryan Murphy-sized twist. Since the premiere of Murphy’s new show Doctor Odyssey, fans have been busy speculating that there’s more than meets the eye with this generation’s version of The Love Boat, something that Murphy’s other show ,Grotesquerie, could either help or hinder their theory.

Doctor Odyssey is escapism TV at its finest, with high drama, low stakes and lots of eye candy. The series follows Dr. Max Bankman (Joshua Jackson) as he navigates his new job as ship’s doctor on the Odyssey, a luxury cruise ship that puts Below Deck yachts to shame. Odyssey’s helmer, Captain Massey (Don Johnson), refers to the ship as “heaven,” laying the groundwork for a fan theory that suggests that this whole thing is a COVID coma dream.

Max decided to pack up his life and seek new horizons after spending time in a COVID coma; he was Patient Zero at his hospital and he came very close to losing his life before his recovery. Now fans believe the whole thing, from the new dream job to the flashy ship full of beautiful people, are actually a look inside Max’s head while he dreams; in reality he’s not actually awake at all because he’s still in the coma.

There are lots of theories, most of which are summed up handily in a TV Line article that has been tracking them. Some of the noteworthy theories include the Odyssey ferrying people to the afterlife, all of the guests also being in COVID comas and even Captain Massey himself being a ghost. Even the cast is weighing in on some of these theories, delighting in the speculation; Joshua Jackson discussed how one theory was common on set, while Sean Teale discussed the show’s reality.

Twists are par for the course for Murphy, whose American Horror Story became known for jaw-dropping moments that turn the tide of the entire series. That’s why we think Murphy’s other series this season, Grotesquerie, might offer some clues about what’s happening in Doctor Odyssey.

Grotesquerie is Murphy’s newest horror entry this season, taking the place of AHS. It’s the story of a police detective, Lois Tryon (Niecey Nash-Betts) who encounters chilling murders in her small desert town. Her brilliant daughter is wasting her life trying to get on a reality show while her husband lies in a coma. The murderer, Mr. Grotesquerie, is toying with her as she investigates these cases with her newfound confidant, Sister Megan (Micaela Diamond), a nun writing for the church’s true crime paper.

In episode 7, though, a massive plot twist was revealed: Lois is the one who was in a COVID-induced coma and everything we’ve been seeing has been her coma dreams. Her husband, played by Courtney B. Vance, is about to pull the plug on her when she miraculously wakes up from the coma, shocking everyone. Real-life Lois made a lot of mistakes in her life and now she has to make amends. Just as she’s about to move away she is called back to her former role as a detective after a murder is committed that bears an uncanny resemblance to one from her coma dream.

So that means we have one Murphy series where fans think the whole thing could be a COVID dream airing at the same time as a second Murphy series where the whole thing actually is a COVID dream that seems to be coming to life.

On one hand, Grotesquerie’s shocking twist could spell doom for the Doctor Odyssey theories because the odds of Murphy pulling the same stunt twice in the same TV season are relatively low. He’s known for massive twists that change the course of shows, notably in the first season of AHS, known as Murder House, where it was revealed that all of the house’s inhabitants were ghosts, and in season 6’s Roanoke, when the first half of the season was presented as a documentary and the second half was the production’s cast and crew trying to survive. Surely he wouldn’t attempt the same trick twice at the same time… right?

As a longtime Ryan Murphy fan, I’m inclined to think that Grotesquerie might be a setup for what could be happening in Doctor Odyssey. In fact, it’s entirely possible that they’re meant to be paired up, despite being on different networks under the Disney umbrella. The shows feature lead characters who have experienced COVID comas and end up coming out of them to rediscover themselves; for Max, it’s a dream job, and for Lois it’s being thrust into a nightmare. Grotesquerie is unmistakably horror — think hell — and Doctor Odyssey is fluff-filled fantasy — think heaven. Are these shows both about the afterlife?

In a world where Ryan Murphy releases six new shows in the same season, we have to think that there are no coincidences. Only time will tell in the quest for answers.

Doctor Odyssey airs Thursdays on ABC while Grotesquerie airs Wednesdays on FX; both shows are available to stream the following day on Hulu.

Now that The Old Man season 2 has reached its end, the question becomes if/when The Old Man season 3 is going to happen. The acclaimed spy drama that stars Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, Alia Shawkat and Amy Brenneman certainly gave every indication the story is set to continue following The Old Man season 2 ending, but has FX given the official green light?

The Old Man follows retired CIA agent Dan Chase (Bridges), who after years of living a peaceful life in hiding has his cover blown, leading him to face his past. Based on the book of the same name by Thomas Perry, the TV show has really put its own spin on the story, as evidenced in The Old Man season 2, where the world expands well beyond Perry’s original novel. But it’s proven to be a good choice, as The Old Man is an Emmy-nominated series and both seasons have been rated “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes.

So are we getting The Old Man season 3? Here’s everything we know about that question right now. (Heads up, we’re going to be discussing some The Old Man SPOILERS, so be cautious if you are not caught up.)

What’s the status of The Old Man season 3?

FX officially made the decision to cancel The Old Man after two seasons, so there will not be The Old Man season 3. The decision comes despite the show indicating where season 3 would have gone and from some of the cast they hoped the show would continue.

One comes directly from The Old Man star Amy Brenneman, who said while on Playlist’s Bingeworthy podcast “it would be kind of odd if there wasn’t” a third season based on how season 2 ended and what she described as show creator Jonathan E. Steinberg’s vision of the show as being a “three-act play.”

Going off the point she makes about how The Old Man season 2 ended, the final moments of The Old Man season 2 episode 8 lays out what would presumably be the crux of The Old Man season 3 plot. After killing Pavlovich, Chase and Zoe (Brenneman) go into hiding and are enjoy a quiet life together. That peace is shattered when Emily (Shawkat) finds him and arranges for them to meet. While Chase is happy to see his daughter alive, she sought him out because she needs his help to rescue Harper (Lithgow), who is being held hostage by Marion (Janet McTeer) and used as a bargaining chip to try and regain control of the valuable rare metals deposit that Emily and her Afghani family control. Specifically, she needs Chase’s help in accessing Lou Barlow, which is actually another alias for Chase, but one with which he did terrible things and doesn’t want to go back to. However, Emily is not giving him a choice, as her influence allowed her to get the FBI on her side and will force Chase to go along with her plan.

So barring another network coming in to resurrect the show, we will not see how The Old Man story continued.

You can stream The Old Man on Hulu in the US and on Disney Plus in the UK.

After the big reveal that Emily (Alia Shawkat) is still alive, The Old Man season 2 episode 8 (the season finale) gives us a look at her side of the story.

We see the end of her conversation with Chase (Jeff Bridges) just before Pavlovich’s soldiers burst into the room. Khadija (Jacqueline Antaramian) is quickly killed, then the soldiers ask who there is a Hamzad? Emily says she is the only Hamzad left. She tells the Russian captain (Nicholas Kolev) if he lets everyone else live, she will give him everything he needs to know about Hamzad’s work. He accepts the deal, putting her in a guarded room.

That’s just the start of the big The Old Man season 2 finale. Read on for our full recap.

Empathy and ruthlessness

A Russian soldier, Pavel (Daniyar), brings Emily food. They connect as she speaks Russian with him. Pavel learns that Emily is an American but her family are the people of the village. He asks why she is betraying them by helping the Russians? “To protect them,” she says, because she loves them.

We spend a little time with Pavel. It’s clear he's not a fully committed soldier. He stays up at night looking at pictures of his wife and child. He also doesn’t seem comfortable around the other soldiers.

One night he brings a nice meal and a bottle of vodka to Emily, a reward from the captain for her info. But now the captain wants a list of names of people who could be trouble; a kill list. Still, Emily begins to write. Pavel asks if she thinks her family, who she is compromising herself for, will be able to accept what she is doing and welcome her back? It’s pretty clear he is talking about himself as much as he is about Emily. She responds with her own question: what if they were always this way, capable of doing whatever necessary to keep the people they love safe?

She hands the list to Pavel, but as he looks it over she grabs the vodka bottle and smashes it over his head, knocking him out. When Pavel comes to, he sees Emily has escaped. As he looks for her, he finds multiple Russian soldiers dead. Emily has freed the villagers and they have overrun the Russians. This includes one villager coming up from behind and killing Pavel.

This shows how Emily came into her position of leadership with Hamzad’s village, and how she used the strategy of empathy and ruthlessness that Bote taught Chase and which Chase passed down to her.

Harper’s sacrifice

Harper (John Lithgow) and Marion (Janet McTeer) learn the Russians have lost the Meshbahar deposit, with rumors of it being taken by a group of local fighters led by an American woman. Harper realizes that Emily is alive. Perhaps not for long though, as Pavlovich (Rade Serbedzjia) is summoning his entire force to take back the deposit. Harper urges Marion to use her power to stop Pavlovich, reminding her that Emily, with her influence as Parwana Hamzad, would be a better partner. Marion reminds him he said he would never allow her to get near Emily. But with her life at stake again, as well as Chase’s, Harper says there may not be a limit to what he’ll do to save them.

Part one to achieve that goal is already in place, as Zoe (Amy Brenneman) and Julian (Gbenga Akinnagbe) are driving to find Pavlovich. Zoe wonders if Julian has any real stake in finding and saving Chase. He says if she helps him get Pavlovich, he’ll help her with Chase.

After Harper checks in with Julian, he pushes Marion again to use her influence to defeat Pavlovich, asking how long until he does something impossible to clean up? Marion resents Harper’s use of the word “impossible,” saying he’s used it to put up barriers on his career and their relationship, saying he was too beholden to absolutes. Some things are absolute, Harper argues, like what we owe people we love being. Marion asks if that’s the case with Emily, is willing to make a major sacrifice? Harper hesitates for a moment, which causes Marion to retort he could have been a great man if he wasn’t frightened about disappointing anyone. But a “f**k you” response suggests Harper is ready to pay Marion’s price.

She gets a call from the cartel director and offers a solution to their Pavlovich problem. Harper then calls Julian, telling them they’re mission is a go.

The race for Chase

Julian and Zoe drive into the complex where the cartel is meeting. Harper tells them all of the security details of the cartel members aside from Pavlovich have been informed to pretend Julian and Zoe don’t exist for the next 15 minutes, allowing Julian to go kill Pavlovich. Zoe asks what she can do? Nothing, Julian says, but he promises he’ll keep one of Pavlovich’s men alive to get info on where Chase is. He heads out, and Zoe puts in an earpiece to be patched in with him.

Gun drawn, Julian quickly kills several of Pavlovich’s men, but his gunfire causes two Russians who were sitting in the parking lot to sprint that way. Zoe warns Julian they’re coming as the assassin continues his way through the cabana. Julian finds Pavlovich and engages with him and his men. Eventually, Julian confronts Pavlovich, helpless and shot in the leg. The Russian asks if Julian knows who he is. He says the guy that killed the old man, but he’s the man that got Pavlovich, shooting and killing him.

Zoe gets tired of waiting. She makes her way to the Russian car and looks up their most recent destinations on the GPS, figuring it must be where Chase is. She drives off to rescue him.

When she arrives at the church she finds a passed out Chase. She gives Chase the antidote. When that doesn’t work she performs CPR on Chase. The camera pans out as Zoe continues trying to resuscitate Chase.

A new mission

The scene cuts to Chase waking up in a bed, his trusted dogs Dave and Carol by his side. Zoe comes in, letting him know they are at an old safe house of Bote’s. Chase is immediately anxious, believing they need to move, but Zoe assures him no one but Julian and her son know where they are; Harper doesn’t even know as they weren’t sure it was safe to contact him. She did everything she could to ensure they were safe.

They begin to enjoy a normal life together. The only person they seem to have contact with is Zoe’s son, who she talks to only on a computer at the closest local library. However, Chase admits he’s been ignoring potentially dangerous questions. What happened with the cartel: why hasn’t it been exposed yet? What happened with the spook Zoe met in the police station; did he tell his friends about them? Zoe asks if these things have been bothering him, why has he been ignoring them? It’s because he doesn’t want this new life to end.

It becomes impossible to ignore them though when a package is dropped off at their mailbox. The box has no address, but a drawing of where to deliver it. Chase opens it, inside is a phone and a piece of paper with a phone number. He gives it a call.

The next thing we see is Chase and Zoe arriving at a diner, where Emily is waiting for them. Stunned, Chase hugs his daughter and introduces her to Zoe. While Emily promises she’ll tell Chase all that happened to her, right now she needs his help. Harper was taken by Marion and is being used to bargain for control of the Meshbahar deposit, which she now controls, having become the de facto leader of her Afghani family. Emily is determined to get Harper back, but she needs Chase. He agrees to do what she needs. But what she needs is access to Lou Barlow, the man Chase previously told Zoe was the worst person he ever came across. This makes Chase hesitant, trying to convince her there are other ways to get Harper back.

Zoe asks who exactly Lou Barlow is. Chase reveals he was Lou Barlow, and the reason he didn’t tell Zoe that before was because as Barlow he did things “uglier than violence.”

Emily is steadfast that Lou Barlow is how to go after Marion and get Harper back. It’s what Chase taught her and what they owe Harper for saving their lives. She wonders if his reluctance is because he doesn’t want to do what it would take, or if he doesn’t want Zoe to see that side of him?

Either way, Chase doesn’t have a choice. Cars drive up to the diner. Emily explains now that she is in control of the deposit she has a lot of influence. She used it to have the FBI tap Zoe’s son’s phone, find Chase and now transport them out of the country. Chase coldly says, “Parwana Hamzad gets whatever she wants,” referring to Emily by her birth name, acknowledging she is not entirely his daughter anymore. Emily says, “yeah, she does,” bringing the season to the end.

All episodes of The Old Man season 2 are now streaming on Hulu in the US.

Is Say Nothing going to be the next must-watch TV mini-series? I’m definitely intrigued by the series that is adapted from the New York Times bestseller of the same name by Patrick Radden Keefe, itself based on real-life stories of members of the Irish Republican Army during The Troubles of the 1970s in Northern Ireland.

Though it is going to be a streaming exclusive, the show comes from FX, the network that has been behind some of the best TV shows of recent years, including The Bear, The Old Man, Feud: Capote vs the Swans, What We Do in the Shadows (season 6 now airing) and more.

Find out everything you need to know about Say Nothing right here.

Say Nothing release date

All nine episodes of Say Nothing are now available to stream on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.

You must be a subscriber to the appropriate streaming service in order to watch Say Nothing.

Say Nothing cast

While telling the story of multiple members of the IRA, front and center for Say Nothing are Lola Petticrew and Hazel Doupe, who play Dolours Price and Marian Price, who become symbols of the radical politics of the time. Petticrew’s most notable credits prior to Say Nothing include the TV mini-series Anne Boleyn, the TV series Bloodlands and movies She Said and Tuesday. Viewers may recognize Doupe from Smother, Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale and Kathleen Is Here.

Also in the Say Nothing cast are Anthony Boyle (Manhunt) as Brendan Hughes, a charismatic but conflicted military strategist, and Josh Finan (The Gentlemen) as Gerry Adams, a leading political operator. Maxine Peake (Rules of the Game) is also a member of the cast as an older Dolours Price.

Say Nothing plot

Here is the official synopsis for Say Nothing:

“Spanning four decades, the series opens with the shocking disappearance of Jean McConville, a single mother of ten who was abducted from her home in 1972 and never seen alive again.

“Telling the story of various Irish Republican Army (IRA) members, Say Nothing explores the extremes some people will go in the name of their beliefs, the way a deeply divided society can suddenly tip over into armed conflict, the long shadow of radical violence for all affected and the emotional and psychological costs of a code of silence.”

Say Nothing episodes

Here are the synopses for all Say Nothing episodes:

Say Nothing episode 1, "The Cause"
"Dolours Price comes from an IRA family. Her father's been to prison for planting bombs and her mother hides guns in the garden. When the city of Belfast erupts into violence, Dolours swears she's not going to get involved."

Say Nothing episode 2, "Land of Password, Wink and Nod"
"Dolours helps a friend out of the hospital."

Say Nothing episode 3, "I'll Be Seeing You"
"For Dolours, the line between friend and enemy starts to blur."

Say Nothing episode 4, "Tout"
"Brendan unearths a mole in the IRA's ranks."

Say Nothing episode 5, "Evil Little Maniacs"
"The Price sisters bring the fight to London."

Say Nothing episode 6, "Do No Harm"
"Dolours and Marian discover a new weapon - their bodies."

Say Nothing episode 7, "Theater People"
"Dolours and Marian make new friends."

Say Nothing episode 8, "I Lay Waiting"
"For Dolours and Gerry Adams, the past won't go away, you know."

Say Nothing episode 9, "The People in the Dirt"
"Dolours breaks the IRA's code of silence."

Say Nothing trailer

Enjoy the Say Nothing trailer right here:

Disney Plus UK has also released their trailer for Say Nothing, which you can watch directly below:

Say Nothing behind the scenes

Say Nothing was created by Joshua Zetumer, who has experience bringing historical dramas to life, as he previously wrote the screenplay for the movie Patriot Day about the Boston Marathon bombing. This is the first TV series that Zetumer has written.

Four directors were used for all nine episodes of the limited series. Michael Lennox (Derry Girls) directed four of them, the first two and last two episodes; the other directors are Mary Nighy (Alice, Darling), who directed episodes 3 and 4, Anthony Byrne (Peaky Blinders), who directed episodes 5 and 7, and Alice Seabright (Sex Education), who directed episode 6.

The witty vampires are back for What We Do in the Shadows season 6. The comedy series that follows the adventures of vampire roommates navigating a modern-day New York City neighborhood is in its final run. So what can show fans look forward to?

Here’s everything we know about What We Do in the Shadows season 6.

Next episode of What We Do in the Shadows season 6 

What We Do in the Shadows returns with the finale episode on Monday, December 16, at 10 pm ET/PT on FX. Here is a synopsis for the episode titled "The Finale":

"A surprising twist leads to a change of plans."

What We Do in the Shadows is is an FX original series, and as such, it airs directly on FX. The channel is available through most cable TV subscriptions, but if you've cut the cord you can watch FX on live-TV streaming platforms like Sling TV, Fubo, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV. Episodes become available to stream the day after they air on Hulu.

What We Do in the Shadows season 6 cast

Helping to fill out season 6 are Kayvan Novak as Nandor and Matt Berry as Laszlo. Novak was previously seen in things like Cruela and Toast of Tinselown, while Berry has appeared in Toast of London and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Joining Novak and Berry are Natasia Demetriou (Stath Lets Flats) as Nadja, Mark Proksch (Dream Corp LLC) as Colin, Harvey Guillén (The Life of Chuck) as Guillermo and Kristen Schaal (Our Flag Means Death) as The Guide.

What We Do in the Shadows season 6 plot

Here is an official synopsis for the season:

"Bat at it again. FX’s What We Do in the Shadows documents the nightly exploits of vampire roommates Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) as they navigate the modern world of Staten Island with the help of their former familiar and current human friend, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) as well as their vampire bureaucrat acquaintance, The Guide (Kristen Schaal).

"After a very brief stint as a full-blown vampire, Guillermo is re-evaluating his life. Who is he if not a familiar who will do anything to please his Master in hopes of one day being turned into a vampire? Meanwhile, the vampires are re-evaluating, too. When their former roommate reappears after a 50-year nap, they realize how little they’ve done in half a century — not one goal accomplished, not one dream pursued, not one part of the New World conquered (except for their street and part of Ashley Street).

"In the sixth and final season of the Emmy-nominated comedy, Nandor, Nadja, Laszlo, Colin and Guillermo will enter the workforce, visit New Hampshire, go to a human dinner party, fête The Baron and conjure a demon — all while trying to find their place and their purpose in this crazy, mixed-up world."

What We Do in the Shadows season 6 trailer

Check out the trailer for the new season below.

After being taken at the end of the previous episode, Chase (Jeff Bridges) is tied to a chair in an abandoned church at the beginning of The Old Man season 2 episode 7. However, he’s not alone. Emily (Alia Shawkat) in his head saying they’re close to the end, close to being even.

Pavlovich (Rade Serbedzija) enters, saying he’s known Chase by his various aliases for a long time, but now it’s time for all of them to come to an end. Though why did Chase give himself up now? Chase reveals he needs the antidote. Pavlovich details the neuro agent, which by now is altering Chase’s brain function (explains the Emily hallucinations), and in a few hours, it will render him disabled and by morning kill him. If Chase wants the antidote, he’ll have to give Pavlovich something that outweighs the danger of keeping Chase alive and risking his position with the rare earth metals cartel. Chase says he and Zoe can either ruin Pavlovich or solve all of his problems. The Emily hallucination says Chase has Pavlovich right where he wants him; he’ll be cut free and have the chance to kill Pavlovich. Sure, it’ll cost Chase his life and possibly Zoe’s, but Emily will know Chase loved her.

Read on for our full recap of The Old Man season 2 episode 7, which also sees Harper (John Lithgow) confront Marion (Janet McTeer).

Zoe turns herself in

Zoe (Amy Brenneman) arrives at a police station saying she needs to be taken into custody. She’s witnessed the murder of Nina Kruger and the murderers aren’t far behind. She wants the police to protect her and to call the CIA. This all sounds far-fetched to the officer behind the front desk (Lauren Baldwin), but Zoe pushes her to call the US embassy and say the people who killed Kruger also killed Morgan Bote; they’ll know the importance of that. When the officer asks for Zoe’s name she says Marcia Dixon.

Eventually, a man arrives to talk with Zoe. He introduces himself as Pete (Nick Boraine), saying he came running when he heard she knows the identity of Bote’s killer. Before she talks though, Zoe wants immunity from anything she has done. Pete explains that’s easy enough to get, but warns her that Bote’s death made a lot of dangerous people angry. He calls them monsters who won’t stop until they have their revenge, and if they have any reason to suspect Zoe had something to do with Bote’s death, there’s no immunity from them. Is she sure she wants to do this? Zoe tells him to make the call, then she’ll tell him everything.

However, someone else is also making a call. A spy for Pavlovich is stationed outside the police station, awaiting instructions on what to do next.

Chase makes his choice

Chase explains the chaos that will be unleashed if Zoe reveals Pavlovich killed Bote; the Russian will sleep with one eye open for the rest of his short life. The alternative is Zoe could give Chase’s name, telling a story that Bote’s former protege was looking for revenge after his daughter was kidnapped, killing Bote, killing Hamzad, but that when he came for Pavlovich, Pavlovich killed him. In exchange for this story, Chase would get the antidote, a bag of cash and he and Zoe would go free. But Pavlovich is skeptical, believing there is more. And there is.

Chase reveals Emily was Hamzad’s daughter and that she was in the village when Pavlovich’s men attacked. Both Pavlovich and the hallucination of Emily are confused by Chase sharing this info. In addition to the antidote and the money, he wants Emily’s body so he can say goodbye and put her to rest. Pavlovich asks how he could believe Chase isn’t harboring anger over Emily’s death. Chase admits all he has is anger, and normally Pavlovich wouldn’t have seen Chase coming, but Chase made a promise to Zoe to make it back alive, which he intends to keep. He's willing to give up his vengeance for a life with Zoe. Pavlovich cuts Chase loose and gives him a phone to call Zoe. Before he does he apologizes to Emily.

However, Chase soon notices something is off with Pavlovich. The Russian nixes the deal. Someone has attacked Hamzad’s mineral deposit and he can only assume Chase is involved. He leaves Chase with one of his assassins (Nikolai Nikolaeff), whose father was killed by Chase in Afghanistan years ago, and taunts Chase by breaking the vials of antidote one by one. Pavlovich also orders his men to kill Zoe.

Harper confronts Marion

In Hong Kong, Marion is spending time with her family in a market when she spots Harper, who needs to talk to her urgently. Once alone, Harper reveals he knows about the cartel and wants to know how Marion is connected.

Marion tries to dance around it all, saying she had nothing to do with Bote’s death. Harper admits in the past he may have fallen for her tricks, but now he’s tired and his friends are in trouble, so they need to stop “f***ing around.” Marion starts taking things seriously.

She reveals she no longer has a relationship with Pavlovich because he doesn’t need her anymore. She brought him into the realm of the cartel hoping to use his muscle and infrastructure as they tried to negotiate with Hamzad for the deposit. But Hamzad was determined to only work with American partners for American interests, something Marion couldn’t understand. That is until Harper called about rescuing Emily. Marion realized Hamzad needed a connection to the Americans to find his daughter. Harper then pieces together Marion wanted Harper and Chase to weaken Hamzad so he would be forced to partner with her, Pavlovich and Beijing, as Marion works with the Chinese government.

This last bit of info reveals Marion’s true allegiances. She was born in Hong Kong when it was a British colony. Despite it now being run by the communist Chinese government, she still places her loyalty to it. Harper knows, though, that in order to be trusted by the Chinese government she had to reveal the identities of multiple British undercover agents. But all that’s background, as Harper refocuses on what her role in all this is.

She says she was hoping for a new partner: Emily, or more precisely, Parwana Hamzad. Emily’s connections to America, Hamzad’s tribe and her counterintelligence training would have made her a valuable asset. Harper says Emily (though he still refers to her as Angela) was his daughter in every way that mattered to him, and he never would have let her anywhere near Marion.

Marion’s phone rings. It’s Pavlovich, asking if she knows why he’s calling? She doesn’t, but he hangs up before saying anything else. Marion realizes how scared Pavlovich must be to call her, but of what?

Taking action

At the police station, Zoe hears gunshots. Looking outside, she sees Pavlovich’s man kill Pete and the desk officer, and is now coming after her. She locks the door, but then she remembers something. The episode features flashbacks of a young Zoe (Caitlin Duffy) on her wedding day talking to her soon-to-be father-in-law (John Ales). He offers some advice about love and tells her the benefits of having a partnership, including the things you can learn from each other. As we see in the flashback, the family she is marrying into were hunters who taught her how to shoot. In the present, she finds the key to the gun locker, gets a shotgun and kills Pavlovich’s assailant. She then goes outside when Julian drives up, saying Harper sent him and asks if she is coming with him for the next part of the plan? We don’t get her answer, but come on, Zoe’s all in at this point.

Meanwhile, Chase has to deal with his own assassin. The assassin knocks Chase to the ground, but right near some broken glass that allows Chase to cut himself loose, grab a shard and stab the assassin. He then uses a chokehold and strangles the assassins to death. Chase goes to see if there is any antidote left, but he can’t find any.

Pavlovich is also in a tricky spot as we end the episode. Meeting with the other members of the cartel, he tries to assure them everything is fine at Hamzad’s deposit, that there’s no truth to the reports he has lost it. However, as the board discusses it, we see the aftermath of the battle that took place at the deposit. The camera zooms toward a figure amidst the smoke, eventually revealing Emily, alive and leading Hamzad’s tribe in the attack.

New episodes of The Old Man premiere Thursdays on FX, then are available to stream on-demand the next day on Hulu.

The Old Man season 2 episode 6 begins by reintroducing us to Julian (Gbenga Akinnagbe), Morgan Bote's special ops agent. Following the events of The Old Man season 1, he's trying to move on with his life, leaving his past career behind him. 

That primarily comes in the shape of a new girlfriend (Jessica Parker Kennedy), who he helped get on the bus when she was injured back in season 1 and ran into again in this episode. She helps Julian come to terms with trying to enter a new phase of his life. But sometimes you can't escape the past.

That's proven true when Julian finds Harper (John Lithgow) waiting for him at this apartment, believing Bote sent him an email just before he was killed and he needs to see it.

Using your weapons

Chase (Jeff Bridges) and Zoe (Amy Brenneman) check into a hotel in London as the Dixons. Chase is very particular about what room they get, requesting the 12th floor, between rooms 01-05 and that it be an odd numbered room. As they get settled, Chase has a mini panic attack as he thinks about Emily, telling Zoe he's not able to turn this feeling off. She says it's OK to be angry. He knows there's a time for that (killing Pavlovich), but right now they need their wits as they try to get some answers.

They prepare for the meeting Zoe has with Nina Kruger (Rowena King), Hamzad's lawyer, to figure out what she knows about Pavlovich's involvement with Hamzad's mineral deposit. Zoe recalls things Bote told her, including that she wields two weapons in concert, one of which is empathy, something Chase previously told her as well. Zoe adds that to use her weapons she has to be OK with never trusting anyone ever again, never getting close to anyone. This she came up with on her own. Chase thinks she's implying if they get close again Zoe is worried he might be ruthless with her. She knows it's a possibility, but she's more worried about herself, because she's someone who breaks things and now she's armed with these new weapons.

Back in the US, Harper is using the weapons at his disposal to get Julian to help him. Julian claims he didn't get an email from Bote, saying Harper has the wrong person. Harper mentions how Bote took care of the people in his circle, built walls around them to keep them and those they cared about safe. With Bote dead, cracks in those walls are starting to appear, and they're only getting bigger, meaning both Julian and his new girlfriend aren't safe. Harper gives him his phone number and says if Julian helps them he'll make sure his walls don't fall for a long time. If he doesn't, he's on his own.

Where's Kruger?

Zoe waits at a restaurant for her meeting with Kruger, talking with Chase on an earpiece as he keeps eyes on her from above. After Chase reassures her that feeling like all eyes are on her is normal and they have a playful banter about Hamlet and revenge, Zoe asks how he made all his money as Henry Dixon? Chase says he came across information people wish he didn't have, which led to some good investment opportunities.

Then she asks who Lou Barlow is. Bote brought that name up, but she could tell he wasn't being entirely truthful when he talked about him. Chase says that kind of money changing hands can bring out the worst in people, and Barlow is the worst in people, someone Chase wishes he never crossed paths with. She asks what that means? He promises he'll tell her someday, but as they're talking Chase sneaks up behind her and says they're leaving. Kruger isn't coming. To confirm this he calls her assistant, Anna (Ana Mulvoy Ten), who says Kruger is dealing with a personal matter and won't give any info on how to reach her. Now they'll need to ask her another way.

After picking up some supplies at a hardware store, Chase builds what Zoe refers to as a "laser rifle" in the hotel room. Zoe is a flummoxed as she realizes Chase had this whole plan in place before they left the US: finding Anna, where she lives and knowing they would likely have to take these steps. She thought she was starting to understand the spy game. Chase tells her she understands the hard parts, what he's doing is just bells and whistles.

Anna arrives at her apartment door when Chase appears in the hall and asks for her help to find someone: Nina Kruger. Anna immediately becomes nervous. Chase says this was a courtesy, next time she won't see him coming. Anna quickly goes into her apartment and locks the door. But Zoe now has eyes on her, with the laser rifle pointed at her, which is able to pick up audio and pair Anna's phone with their computer. When Anna calls Kruger to let her know someone is looking for her, the computer is able to ID Kruger's phone number, which allows them to track it.

Zoe's self reflection 

After they get the number, Zoe asks how Chase knew Anna would call Kruger. He says when you look someone in the eye and show them you're willing to do what they're most afraid of, almost everyone will do what you want them to. Zoe recalls Chase looked at her that way once, but she had a different reaction. She found what he feared and used it to hurt him, saying again she's "a person who breaks things." She's becoming unsettled as she realizes that doing this type of thing feels easy to her.

The next day as they're driving. Chase tells her how he once broke a dish and Abbey told him "a person who can't help but break everything they touch shouldn't be allowed in the house," that they should be outside with the animals. He wants her to know he understands what she is going through, because he feels the same way. She says she doesn't want to live outside with the animals. Neither does Chase.

Pavlovich's goals are revealed 

Chase and Zoe arrive at Kruger's country home. He tells her to keep an eye out while he goes to check it out. As he approaches, the door is already cracked. He carefully walks inside and finds Kruger sitting in a chair, in distress. But there's someone else in the house as well, a man wearing a gas mask rifling through the study. Chase sees they have a gun (at the moment set on the floor), so he picks up a cane and attacks the man. As the fight ensues Chase gets knocked to the ground, but it allows him to grab the gun and kill the man. He searches him and finds a broken injector.

Chase takes Kruger out of the house. Zoe approaches but Chase tells her to stay back. The man released some kind of airborne poison in Kruger's house, and now Chase is exposed. He suspects the broken injector was the antidote. Kruger, through strained breath, sees Zoe and says the man didn't find what he was looking for, a thumbdrive hidden in the study. Once she says this she dies. Chase goes back into the house to grab the thumbdrive. 

In it, Kruger explains Hamzad's mineral deposit is one of many around the world in places not friendly to western governments. Now those with access to those deposits are forming their own cartel for rare earth metals, which if successful could bring western economies to their knees. Pavlovich is involved in the cartel, but his association with Zoe and Chase threaten his position, as the others worry they can't trust him. So Pavlovich is on a mission to destroy any trace of those connections (specifically, them).

With this new information, Chase says they need to split up and Zoe needs to get somewhere safe and call Harper. He's going to let Pavlovich's men (who are on their way) take him as they are the only ones that have an antidote to what he was exposed to. Chase promises he'll come back.

Harper also finds out a key piece of information on Pavlovich. Julian meets with him again and shares the email Bote sent him, which he tried to delete but ultimately couldn't. As Harper looks at the paper he recognizes Pavlovich, but someone else as well: Marion (Janet McTeer), his ex-wife.

New episodes of The Old Man season 2 air Thursdays on FX, then become available to stream on-demand the next day on Hulu.

The funeral for Faraz Hamzad opens The Old Man season 2 episode 5. Emily (Alia Shawkat) narrates her own feelings about the proceedings. While she doesn't understand the language of the villagers, she can understand what Hamzad meant to them. That is harder for her to quantify, but she wants to say goodbye in her own way. So like she did with her mother, she writes a letter. 

In it, she says she is grateful she and her father "passed each other in darkness, even if for just an instance." She asks when he sees her mother to be kind to her, as she was just as fractured as they were and did the best she could. But she wants him to let her know she found her way home. She burns the letter and scatters its ashes at Hamzad's grave. 

After the proceedings, Emily says goodbye to Farouk (Michael Sifain), who is leaving with Tarik (Amir Malaklou) to get out of the village, presumably to America, before the Taliban arrive. Khadija (Jacqueline Antaramian) asks what Emily said to Farouk? She told him he'll be safe, but he's going to be scared and alone, knowing from personal experience it's not good to lie to a kid when the truth is important.

Sending Farouk away was not a moment too soon, as Khadija notices smoke in the distance and the sound of gunfire. Hamzad's enemies are on their way.

Refuge at the Harper household

Back in the US, Cheryl (Jessica Harper) is trying to address a big leak in her basement when Harper (John Lithgow) comes rushing in. He reminds her he tried to leave his work at the door and not have it interfere with their lives, but things are too complicated now. He explains Angela (referring to Emily as Cheryl knows her) is still in Afghanistan and in danger, and so are they. He wants her and their grandson, Henry, to stay in a hotel for now. But Cheryl reveals Henry doesn't live with them anymore. They have to drop this conversation as Chase (Jeff Bridges) and Zoe (Amy Brenneman) come in from the rain, eagerly trying to reach Emily and worried about having Bote's car in the driveway.

After they get settled, Zoe asks how the attackers found them? Chase thinks Bote got too close to Pavlovich's pursuit of Hamzad's mineral deposit. Though he's confused why Pavlovich would think killing Bote on US soil would help him, as it will cause major blowback. There's something they don't understand yet.

Harper and Cheryl pick up the Henry conversation. She sent him to live with his other grandparents because she wasn't sure Harper was coming back and it wasn't fair to Henry to not be able to ask questions or expect to get answers. Cheryl knows what she signed up for when she married Harper, but even she admits she's drowning in the absence of answers. So Harper gives her some: Angela Adams was a fiction.

How hard that must be for Cheryl hits home when Zoe finds a photo of Emily with the Harper family. She asks if Chase knew how close Emily was with all of them, if it was hard for Chase to be on the outside of all that since he once was close with Harper too? He says that was part of the deal he and Abbey (his wife and Emily's mother) made, a clean break. Abbey and Emily were all he needed. Zoe notes that needing and wanting are two different things.

The phone call

The power goes out in the Harper house because of the leak, but before they can do anything about that, Emily answers Chase's call. Everyone comes in so they can hear. Chase tells her that Bote is dead, so she has to get out of there because he can't protect her from what's coming. But Emily reveals the enemy is already there. Chase again urges her to get out, but she refuses. She tells them Hamzad is dead. Before she can say anymore, she has to move as the enemy forces are getting closer, but she promises to get back on when she can.

As Harper scrambles to figure out how they can help, Chase remembers a time when he lost a young Emily at the park. He says through all the wars and horrible things he's been through, he's never experienced a feeling like that before and he swore he would not let himself feel that again. But certainly, it must be creeping in now.

Emily gets back on; the enemy is breaching. Chase tells them to use the tunnels in the village to get out, but the enemy is using those exact tunnels. So all that is left for Emily to do is say her goodbyes. 

She apologizes for putting Harper and Cheryl through this again after losing their son. She also adds she doesn't blame Harper for what he did (she doesn't overtly say he shot Hamzad in front of Cheryl). She then tells Chase she needs him to know that her choice to stay was not a rejection of him or Abbey and that she needs to know he's not going to spend his life resenting the new family she found; she chose this. Before Chase can answer, the soldiers break through and gunfire goes off. The last thing they hear before the line goes dead is Emily saying "no, wait!"

Needing answers

Knowing he has lost Emily forever, Chase is distraught. As he tinkers with the leak he repeatedly says he should have stopped Emily, but Zoe asks how could he have? She comforts him as he sobs. He stops when Harper comes in, saying they need to go. Not yet, Chase says. He confirms Harper heard what he heard on the call and says he wants answers, now. Harper relents, telling Zoe to keep Cheryl distracted. Zoe asks what it is they heard on the call? The men who attacked the villagers weren't Taliban, they were speaking Russian, which means Pavlovich sent them.

Chase and Harper grab one of the attackers from Bote's they kept alive and stuffed in the trunk of the car to extract answers from him. Meanwhile, Cheryl and Zoe are in the kitchen. Cheryl asks if Zoe is inside or outside all this; does she know what's going on, or does she wonder what the people who know what's going on are thinking? Zoe says she's in a transitional phase. Cheryl isn't, which kills her because Emily's final words to Harper — not blaming him — will be something she never knows about. Zoe decides to tell Cheryl that she was told to distract her and that Bote is dead, killed by Pavlovich's men, who also killed Emily.

As Chase tortures the attacker for answers, Harper says he can help, as getting answers out of people was his job. "Not like this," Chase says, sending Harper upstairs. So Harper goes to be alone in his son Chip's old room. There he imagines Chip and the two have a conversation about how all of Harper's own fiction he used to protect his family is falling apart. The imagined Chip says he never truly knew Harper, as some part of him was always left with his work. Harper regrets that he messed up being a father and wishes he had the chance to say goodbye, to have last words with Chip, Emily, and even Henry. This thought sets off a light bulb in his mind.

Harper finds Zoe and asks if Bote said anything before he died? No, but he had his phone and was trying to send something. Harper believes that's an important piece to his puzzle, something Bote wanted to make sure didn't die with him. And Harper may have an idea on who Bote was messaging.

Chase comes up from the basement. The attacker didn't know anything about Pavlovich, he was just a hired gun. But Chase did learn one thing: Bote wasn't the only target. He and Zoe (or Marcia and Henry Dixon, the aliases they used when they met Pavlovich) were also meant to be killed. Chase thinks their best option to find out what's going on is to meet with Hamzad's lawyer, who had something to tell Zoe. Off to London they go.

As they say goodbye, Cheryl tells Harper she understands the situation now. Maybe not everything, but enough. But now she feels like she understands Harper less. Harper intends to find a better way to make everything work when he gets back.

After Cheryl leaves, Harper goes down to the basement. He grabs a saw and moves toward the attacker. Whether he's going to just cut up an already dead body or cause him additional pain is unclear. But what is clear is that Harper is ready to get dirty.

New episodes of The Old Man air on Thursdays on FX, then stream on-demand on Hulu the next day.

It’s clear how prevalent social media is in all of our daily lives — heck, you likely found this article on X, Facebook or the like — but a new docuseries is delving into exactly what life is like for hyper plugged-in teens, the world’s first generation of digital natives. 

Premiering on FX tonight, September 27 at 10pm with its first two episodes, Social Studies is “a groundbreaking, character-driven documentary series” and social experiment that chronicles a school year in the lives of a diverse group of Los Angeles teens, who “open up their lives and phones to offer an intimate glimpse into how social media has reshaped childhood,” reads the official series description, per FX. “From battling bullying, grappling with beauty standards, coping with comparison pressures and racism, exploring sexuality, and making life-altering decisions, their compelling and relatable experiences take us on a raw, visceral and urgent journey through the challenges of growing up in the digital era.”

Directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, the limited series will have five episodes total. The premiere, entitled “Social 101,” sees the California teens return to school post-Covid and share their phones and lives to explore the effects of social media.

Greenfield talked to ABC’s On The Red Carpet ahead of the series’ premiere, discussing how Social Studies differs from other coming-of-age chronicles of modern-day youth. “The things that they're dealing with about identity are what we always dealt with coming of age, the 'who am I?' But it's so hard to kind of find yourself when you're looking at others constantly," Greenfield said. 

The director continued: “Kids have always compared themselves to the people in their class, the people in their clique, the people in another clique. But imagine comparing yourself to the whole world of people, and some people that are not even real, that photoshopped their bodies, that perfect their images, that use a ring light before they come on their socials. And that's the pressure that kids are grappling with every day."

To tune into tonight’s airing of the first two episodes of Social Studies, you’re going to need access to the FX network. In order to do that, you need to have either a traditional pay-TV service or a live TV streaming service that carries FX. In the case of the latter, Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV all carry FX as part of their channel lineup. The docuseries will also be available to stream with a Hulu subscription.

Check out the official trailer above before tuning into Social Studies tonight on FX. 

At the heart of FX's The Old Man has always been a handful of fatherly relationships. The key one to date has been that Angela/Emily/Parwana (Alia Shawkat) with her three "dads': the one who raised her, Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges), her surrogate work dad, Harold Harper (John Lithgow) and, as we get to see in The Old Man season 2, her biological father Faraz Hamzad (Navid Negahban).

But only one character has been referred to by the show's title, "the old man" — Joel Grey's Morgan Bote. That is what Harper called Bote when he met face to face with Chase after Emily had been kidnapped at the end of The Old Man season 1. It was laid out that both Chase and Harper had a long history with Bote, as he helped train them early in their careers but things have clearly gotten complicated over the years and after Chase went into hiding.

However, after The Old Man season 2 epsode 4, there may be a deeper connection between Morgan Bote and Dan Chase: it feels heavily implied (though never explicitly confirmed) that they are actually father and son. Let me make my case for that argument. Fair warning, I'll be getting into some The Old Man SPOILERS, so if you're not caught up probably best to do so before you continue reading.

First off, it's been established that Dan Chase is not Bridges' character’s real name, it's one of his aliases. We don't know his real full name, though Harper has referred to him as Johnny both in flashbacks and in the present storyline. Whether or not Johnny is his real first name, we've never heard a last name with it. Could it be Bote?

Looking specifically at what happened in The Old Man season 2 episode 4, Chase and Bote's complicated history is brought up numerous times, with Harper saying that it's so bad there's no chance that Bote will listen to Chase. He also mentions Bote's advanced age (saying he's basically 100); even if that's exaggeration, there could be enough of an age gap where Bote being Chase's father could work.

When they come face to face, Chase does try to appeal to Bote, revealing he told him years ago when Bote helped get Emily into the FBI that she wasn't his real daughter, adding a curious connection to Bote: "I said she didn't need to be your granddaughter for you to help anymore than she needed to be my daughter for me to ask."

The other big clues in the episode are Zoe (Amy Brenneman), who constantly refers to how similar Chase and Bote are in mindset, and the fact that Bote is so angry at Chase; it feels like the kind of hurt that can generate from a father and son having an irreconcilable rift.

In fairness, holes can be poked in any of these arguments: Bote could just be mad at how Chase chose to handle his exit from Afghanistan and the agency all those years ago, feeling betrayed by the young man he trained. And just saying Emily didn't need to be Bote's granddaughter for him to help her doesn't necessarily mean that he thought he was, the plan could have been to have her appear to be Bote's granddaughter. As far as Zoe's mentions of similarity, that doesn't necessarily have to be a familial trait, it could have just been what Bote drilled into Chase as he trained him.

And yet, the possibility of Chase being Bote's estranged son feels on brand for the show. As we said, different paternal relationships are a big theme of the show. So Chase having a prickly relationship with his own father would add additional layers to all of that.

We don't get a straight answer to this question in The Old Man season 2 episode 4, and it's possible we never do since Bote was killed at the end of the episode. We can't go back to the source material (Thomas Perry’s The Old Man) to check either, because the show is so dramatically different. But at the very least it's another interesting dynamic in a show that is as much about the relationships as it is the thrilling action sequences.

New episodes of The Old Man season 2 air Thursdays on FX, then are available to stream the next day on Hulu.

In the aftermath of the attack and killing of Omar, The Old Man season 2 episode 4 begins with Khadija's son Tarik (Amir Malaklou) doing damage control with the Kabul government, but the minister is shutting them out. He tells this to Hamzad (Navid Negahban), who is receiving medical treatment for his gunshot wound, Khadija (Jacqueline Antaramian) and eventually Emily (Alia Shawkat); aka Parwana, as they refer to her. Tarik figures they have 72 hours. After that, anyone still in the village will be killed by the Taliban.

Chase (Jeff Bridges) and Harper (John Lithgow) wait for Emily before they leave. Harper tries to comfort Chase after the attack, saying Emily has handled the emotion of killing people before. But Chase says they're not all the same. 

Emily arrives with young Farouk (Michael Sifain), who has become attached to her after his mother was killed. She tells them the situation: the army is coming and Hamzad and the village are vulnerable because Morgan Bote (Joel Grey) froze their funds. She needs them to get Bote to reverse this. She says she is still the person each of them knew, but she cannot leave these people to die. She trusts they can get the job done, but if they refuse she would no longer recognize either of them. So off Chase and Harper go on a new mission.

How to handle Bote

As they head back to the US, Harper asks what Chase meant when he said not all killings are the same. Chase explains when you kill to show somebody you love them, there's no going back. He recognizes some part of Emily is gone and a new part is being born. What that results in is still a mystery.

Harper lays out his plan for how to deal with Bote: he'll do all the talking. Bote may not listen to him, but he certainly won't listen to Chase, citing their complicated history. Chase is disinterested in Harper's plan, just wanting to torture Bote into doing what they want. Harper puts his foot down. Chase won't say anything when they get there, letting Harper talk Bote into this. Chase warns Harper to talk fast.

Stay or go

Hamzad says he hears Emily is caring for Farouk. She admits she doesn't know why, but being with her comforts him. Hamzad says "why" is a strange question lately. What "why" could explain everything that they have done?

Hamzad tells her some people will remain in the village to fight the Taliban, while others will be evacuated. Emily doesn't want to hear it's too dangerous or that she doesn't belong in the village. Hamzad assures her she belongs, but he is still asking her to leave because there are other things she can help with, other fights that need fighting.

Emily leaves Hamzad, then runs into Tarik, who officially introduces himself. He asks what Hamzad said, and she reveals he wants her to go back to America with Tarik and help handle the business. Tarik also has a favor to ask of Emily: to convince Hamzad to save his own life.

Tarik explains Hamzad sent him to America when he was a child for school so he could "do more, be more." While there he found his own purpose: getting his family out of the valley. He says he told them a thousand times where they could go, how it could be better, but they didn't listen to him. He thinks it may be different if Hamzad hears it from Emily.

When she brings up the family's roots in the valley, Tarik asks how many of the men and women who died defending their land would have left if they had the option of some place that offered comfort and security? A lot he wagers. But she grew up with comfort and security; it didn't save her, she drowned in it. Tarik reminds her she was lied to, part of an orchestrated fraud. This would be a family moving together so their daughters and sons could have a better life with more opportunity. He admits it won't be easy, but it's the right thing to do.

Khadija then comes out and reveals Hamzad has died from his wounds. As they mourn together as a family, Khadija tells Emily she has a choice to make: stay or go. Emily, feeling guilty, explains Hamzad was really shot by Harper, not the Taliban, but Khadija knows. She assures Emily no one will blame her for what has transpired. They will say Hamzad died defending his daughter and that she has sent Chase and Harper to go fight for them in the US.

The real story

As Chase and Harper arrive at Bote's house, Harper gets a call from Marion, which he ignores. Chase notes it's the third time he's done that. Harper corrects him, it's the fifth, hoping ignoring her will make the problem go away.

Bote is waiting for them. Harper lays out the situation, which Bote already knows, adding if he knew Emily wasn't Chase's kid a long time ago they wouldn't be in this mess. Harper continues anyway, asking Bote to unfreeze Hamzad's assets so they can protect themselves against the Taliban. Bote says neither of them understand what story they are in. As he says this, Chase hears dogs barking. His Rottweilers, Dave and Carol, run in, followed by Zoe (Amy Brenneman). Chase blames Bote for bringing Zoe into this, but Bote counters Chase did that, Bote's trying to get them all out.

Zoe explains she did what Chase said — come back, pick up the dogs — but she couldn't start her normal life again. So she tried calling Nina Kruger, Hamzad's lawyer. She eventually got a call back, but not from Kruger, from Bote, who was monitoring Kruger. Harper asks what they are missing in this situation?

Bote explains it's all about the lithium mine Hamzad controls. Not the money it generates, but the power to control technology and, tangentially, civilization, so the US needs it. But another party is trying to steal it from them: Suleyman Pavolvich (Rade Serbedzija), the Russian gangster Chase and Zoe met at the Moroccan party in The Old Man season 1.

Zoe gets a phone call. Bote explains it's Kruger, who he believes is the key to stopping Pavolvich from getting the mine and right now their best play is to have her talk with Zoe. Zoe says Kruger has set up a lunch meeting for them to talk next week. But that's too long, Harper protests, saying a lot of people (Emily included) are going to die if Bote is wrong. But Bote believes if he's right it would be far worse.

Chase gets heated with Bote. He told Bote Emily was not his daughter when he asked him to get her into the FBI. Not directly, but he said she didn't need to be Bote's granddaughter for him to help anymore than she needed to be Chase's daughter for him to ask (are Chase and Bote father and son?) He tells Bote he understands the importance of everything going on, but the only reason Bote can't find a solution is because he's not looking for one, asking him to ignore his feelings for Chase. When Bote tells them to come back tomorrow, Chase grabs Bote by the shirt, but Zoe convinces him to talk outside.

Harper says Chase isn't wrong; Bote's not helping because he wants them to know he doesn't have to. Bote says Harper never understood the difference between what they want and what they owe, adding if Harper didn't want Bote to be angry, he would have left Chase outside.

The game changes

Chase is steaming, telling Zoe he won't leave until he gets Bote to give him what he wants. Zoe says Bote won't do that, but he will give it to her. She tells Chase to go and to trust her, she can get what he needs.

In Bote's office, he knows Zoe is going to ask for him to help, but he doesn't know why. Because she believes he can and that deep down he wants to. He warns her to be careful with men like him; if she thinks she knows what they're thinking, it's probably because they want her to. 

In another room, Dave and Carol start barking. Bote grabs a gun from his desk and shoots an intruder as he rounds the corner while Zoe takes cover. But another intruder comes in and kills Bote, snapping a picture of his dead body. The intruder begins to look for Zoe when Chase arrives with Dave and Carol, siccing the dogs on the intruder, killing him. Chase guesses the men were sent by Pavlovich.

In an unknown location, Pavlovich is shown the photo confirming Bote is dead. He asks about the "actual targets" (Chase and Harper?), but the team hasn't responded (and won't because they're dead). Pavolvich says there is too much at stake to risk loose ends, so when he does find out Chase, Harper and Zoe are still alive, as Chase said, this is just the beginning.

New episodes of The Old Man season 2 air Thursday on FX, then are available to stream on Hulu the next day.

The first two episodes of The Old Man season 2 left us asking who was on the other end of that final gunshot: Chase (Jeff Bridges) or Hamzad (Navid Negahban). The spy drama doesn't keep us in suspense for long, as we see the scene play out in the opening moments of The Old Man season 2 episode 3.

As Hamzad stands over Chase, gun in hand, it's Harper (John Litghow) that gets off the shot, hitting Hamzad in the gut, though the Afghan leader is still alive. Emily (Alia Shawkat) comes to the cave, seeing all three of her father figures are there. She first goes to Hamzad to treat his wounds, then she hugs Chase. She asks how they got there, with Harper explaining it was Marion (Janet McTeer), who will also help get them out. But Emily isn't ready to leave, not with Hamzad in his state. She pleads with them to help get him back to his village. Chase agrees.

Harper isn't as enthusiastic about this plan, wondering why they should help Hamzad. It's not for Hamzad though, Chase explains. He realizes if they don't help they could lose Emily forever, which he's not willing to risk.

The man pulling the strings

Back at Hamzad's village, the standoff between Omar (Artur Zai Barrera) and Khadija (Jacqueline Antaramian) continues. She tries to convince him Hamzad is not as weak as Omar believes he is, but Omar brushes it off, believing if Hamzad had any pull left he would have been told to stand down. On cue, a helicopter flies over the village and lands on the outskirts. 

The helicopter brings a young man (Amir Malaklou) to the village, who walks right up to Omar. The man explains Omar has no idea what he stumbled into or how much trouble Omar is going to be in if he antagonizes the villagers any more. He says Hamzad's last payment, which the delay of prompted Kabul to send Omar as a message, was slowed because of the complicated sanctions against the Taliban government. The man admits they got mired in them, but now they have the money, so the issue is closed. Anything Omar does now he'll have to answer for. The man tells Omar to leave, which the soldier does silently, though clearly frustrated.

Khadija asks the man, who is her son, where he got the money. He tells her she doesn't want to know, but right now they have bigger problems. Namely, Morgan Bote (the shadowy government figure played by Joel Grey). Bote arranged the initial trade for Chase, but he was furious when Hamzad broke the deal and took Emily/Parwana instead. In retaliation, Bote has frozen all of Hamzad's assets around the world and intends to see them ruined.

Omar, still stewing, spots Farouk (Michael Sifain) walking back toward the village. He stops the young boy and wants to ask him a question: has there been a new woman in the village, one that doesn't speak their language? While Faruza (Sara Seyed) attempts to rescue her son, she is held up, and the young boy is forced to answer Omar. Farouk nods yes. Omar then asks the woman's name, but this Farouk won't answer. He slaps Omar and tries to run back to his mother, but he is grabbed by another Taliban soldier. Faruza breaks free and runs for her son, but she is shot and killed by the Taliban. This causes the villagers to open fire against the Taliban. Khadija arrives and shoots two Taliban soldiers in the process of getting Farouk back into the village as the firefight continues.

Like father, like daughter

Chase, Harper, Emily and Hamzad overlook where Hamzad left their horses, which is now being watched by Taliban soldiers. Chase jokes he could have parked some place less public. Hamzad isn't in the mood for jokes though, telling Chase to go ahead and ask him what he wants to ask. That's just one thing for Chase: what did Hamzad tell Emily? Hamzad points out Chase had a lifetime to tell his side of the story, now he's concerned that Hamzad had the chance to share his. Chase asks again, but Hamzad tells him he can keep his concern, refusing to answer.

Chase and Emily go down to deal with the Taliban soldiers together. As they continue to scope it out, Chase starts to say, "Listen…," but Emily cuts him off. She can't deal with anything that starts with "listen" right now. She knows what's going on in Chase's head, saying how alike they both are, though that is a confusing sentiment now that she knows her true parentage. She admits she doesn't know what is happening to her, but she needs Chase to respect how important this situation is to her. He agrees. As they get ready to go, Chase tells Emily to get behind him. When she challenges that she knows what she is doing he doesn't doubt it, but her staying behind him is important to him right now.

Back on the ridge, Harper calls Marion, who is getting them a special task force helicopter to get them out of the country. When Harper asks what he owes her for this, she just says dinner, but Harper is nervous about what she really wants and tries to convince her whatever astronomical thing she may think she can get out of Harper, she can forget it. Marion ignores him, simply stressing for them not to cause an international incident.

Chase attacks the Taliban soldiers, easily killing one and then wrestling with the other. As Chase attempts to strangle the soldier, the Taliban desperately reaches for his gun that fell to the ground. He's just about to grab it when Emily arrives and stops him. This allows Chase to finish him off.

Omar calls in on the radio to check the status of the soldiers, but it's Hamzad who responds. Omar tells Hamzad if he surrenders and comes with him to Kabul, he'll spare the village. Hamzad knows he must go back, even if it means his death. Emily offers to go with him, thinking she can help defuse the situation. When Harper asks how, she says by explaining she is not FBI agent Angela Adams, she is Hamzad's daughter, making the incident a family issue and not compromising Hamzad's position. But Hamzad refuses, he says he created this situation and he won't let Emily risk herself.

As they head for the village, Harper tells Chase he was right: Harper's reluctance to help Hamzad means Angela Adams, the version of Emily he knew, is now gone. While he's frustrated, he realizes Emily came all this way to find out answers she's been searching for her entire life, to stare the truth in the eyes. Then when Harper tried to pull rank, she stared him down and told him to "f**k off." Harper believes Hamzad can say whatever he wants, but Chase raised a hell of a kid.

Showdown at the gates

The shooting has stopped, but Omar and his soldiers still wait outside the village, ready to attack. Inside, Khadija asks her son if they can call the Taliban minister for help. But with Bote seizing all of their assets, they're defenseless. Had he known what they were trying to do with Emily/Parwana he could have helped, but the cost of Hamzad keeping it a secret is just beginning to be known.

On a cliff overlooking the village, Hamzad prepares to leave, planning to go right up to the gate to meet Omar. Emily attempts to say something, but Hamzad cuts her off. He's sorry things worked out this way, but he's not sorry she saw her home. As Harper and Chase prepare their exit strategy, Emily decides she won't let Hamzad face this alone, riding off after him.

Hamzad arrives at the village gate and faces Omar. The Taliban soldier asks if Hamzad will come with him willingly or if they'll have to finish off the attack on the village. Hamzad doesn't answer, instead collapsing from his wounds. But Emily arrives shortly behind him, helping him up.

Omar, realizing this is the mystery woman, asks who she is. Emily doesn't answer. Omar continues: is she the abducted FBI agent that started all this mess? If he tells her what he is missing, he'll make things easier for everyone. Emily walks toward Omar, reaching her hand into her pocket as she does. She looks him in the eyes and says her name is Parwana Hamzad. As Omar's shock registers, Emily stabs Omar in the neck.

The shooting starts again, but this time Chase is providing an assist, firing a sniper from the cliff, while Harper calls redirects their ride's pick up spot. The chopper then arrives and opens fire on the Taliban, eliminating them (so much for not causing an international incident).

Emily and Hamzad survive the attack. Once everything has stopped, she sees Omar crawling away. She walks toward him, grabs a gun and kills him, very reminiscent of Chase from the first episode of the season. But is this Emily, or is she now Parwana?

New episodes of The Old Man premiere Thursdays on FX, then stream on Hulu the next day.

The Old Man season 2 episode 1 brought us up to date with Chase (Jeff Bridges) and Harper (John Lithgow) as they search for Emily (Alia Shawkat), but in The Old Man season 2 episode 2 we see Emily's experience after her kidnapping by Faraz Hamzad (Navid Negahban).

The FBI agent is brought into a room where she meets Khadija (Jacqueline Antaramian), Hamzad's sister and trusted advisor, who reveals the truth: Emily is Hamzad's daughter, Parwana; she was stolen away by her mother and Chase as a toddler. Emily is skeptical of this. But an old home movie shows a young Hamzad (Pej Vahdat) holding a young Emily and singing to her; a young Chase (Bill Heck) is also visible in the background. Tears of shock stream down Emily's face as she realizes the truth. Outside, Hamzad overlooks where Emily is being kept, singing to himself the same lullaby as in the movie.

Here's our recap of everything that happened in The Old Man season 2 episode 2.

Emily has some questions

Emily is taken to Hamzad. He asks her why she is there. She points out he's the one who kidnapped her, but he wants to know why she got on the plane with Harper in the first place? Emily eventually admits she wanted to know where she came from.

Hamzad speaks of his father and great grandfather, describing how they fought to protect their families and land from invaders. This is where she came from. From a people that sacrificed and fought multiple invasions to keep their children safe and their country free. This isn't what she meant though. Emily truly wants to know about her mother. Who was she and who was she to Hamzad?

He asks what "they" told her? Emily says Chase (who she still calls her father) said Hamzad was dangerous to her mother, that they escaped from him. Hamzad describes Abbey/Belour as "cold and unfeeling;" manipulative, a liar and someone who would betray anyone when it suited her. But Emily believes there must be something else to her; hope, love, something she never saw herself, begging Hamzad to say one good thing about her. But he doesn't, quietly rising from his chair and walking away.

Word gets out

Khadija worries about what Hamzad kidnapping Emily could bring them. Very quickly those worries manifest into Omar (Artur Zai Barrera). He arrives at the village after hearing Hamzad has taken an FBI agent, though Hamzad denies it. Omar continues to prod, telling Hamzad his tribute payment to the Taliban, which allows him to ignore their rules, is late. Now he supposedly has this ticking time bomb, which could cause all kinds of problems. Omar suggests it can all be solved if Hamzad hands Emily over to him. Hamzad ignores the request, confident in his position with the Taliban. As Omar leaves, he also mentions two Americans are supposedly attempting a rescue mission for Emily (Chase and Harper).

Hamzad asks Khadija why their payments are late. She tells him straight: it's his pursuit of Emily. Their position is weakened by what he's done, and Omar knows it. Caught between two enemies, they have to be smart. If they release Emily, they would then have to explain why they took her, which brings its own problems. They've reached a breaking point, the only question is how much will it hurt?

That night Hamzad goes to see Emily. He tells her there's nothing more to say as he holds a gun, planning on killing her. Emily is exactly what he was afraid she would be after all these years: her mother. Emily calls him a coward, chiding him for being too afraid to ask her any questions. Her yelling at him takes Hamzad aback, which allows Emily to knock the gun out his hand. They scuffle. Emily attempts to get the gun, but Hamzad manages to pin her on the ground and chokes her until she stops moving. He pulls off and starts to whimper as Emily's body lies motionless.

But then, she gasps for air. She gets up, gets the gun and points it at Hamzad. But she can't pull the trigger either. Khadija eventually comes in and finds them both on the floor, silent.

Settling in

Emily is taken to a new room, where she is now going to stay and be looked after by Faruza (Sara Seyed), her cousin. Faruza says while no one talks of such things, she remembers there always felt like an empty space in their home, the feeling that someone (Emily) was missing.

The next day, Emily speaks with Khadija, wanting to understand what is happening. Khadija admits she thought Emily would be dead by now, but if there was a plan before, there isn't one now. Emily's intentions haven't changed though; she wants to know about her mother. She asks why her mother left? Khadija would have assumed Emily's mother would have explained it by now, but Emily reveals her mother is dead. She continues with her questions, but Khadija says they're not the right ones. When Emily is ready to ask different questions, Khadija will answer them.

Emily then begins to settle into the routines of the village. She makes friends with Faruza's son, Farouk (Michael Sifain), who helps teach her some Dari. She also learns Faruza's husband was one of the first to die when the Taliban came back into power, but they were kept safe by just one letter Hamzad sent to Kabul. He protects them, she explains, saying things would be very dangerous without him. 

The Taliban make their move

For the first time in the episode we leave the village, catching up with Omar after Chase and Harper escape him. Meeting with his superior in Kabul (and wearing an eye patch after Chase slashed him in the face with a knife), Omar says Hamzad lied to them. His superior agrees it's time they reevaluate their relationship with Hamzad, including exerting more control over the lithium mine and having Omar pay him another visit.

At the mine, Khadija sees the Taliban at the site, having stopped production. She calls someone on the phone. Speaking in English (meaning it's likely an American contact), she says they were given assurances they would be immuned from sanctions; either someone has violated those assurances or they're dealing with someone powerful enough to disregard them. She fears what all this may mean.

Later, Khadija meets Omar at the village gate. He demands Hamzad, knowing they lied about Emily and revealing the Taliban government is no longer protecting them. Khadija invites him in. However, when they reach the village center, Hamzad's men emerge from hiding and surround Omar and his men. Khadija chides Omar, saying Hamzad would have given him a bribe or helped him gain influence in Kabul, but now he's made it worse. Omar gets angry, saying he was only coming for Hamzad, but now he'll conscript every boy in the village into the Taliban after he gets Hamzad. There's just one problem, Hamzad isn't there.

A tough lesson

Before Khadija let Omar into the village, Hamzad and Emily escaped into the mountains. He plans to take her to a cave he told her mother about, which should keep them hidden until Hamzad can arrange for Emily to be sent away.

As they make the journey, Hamzad finally has questions for Emily. As they talk, he imagines her as a young girl. He admits he doesn't know why he brought Emily back, just describing it as a need beyond word or choice. He thinks he needed to say goodbye to her for the first time, and the last time. He asks if the life he'll be returning her to is one where she'll be happy? Emily doesn't know though.

Emily has a question now: what does Hamzad think of her? Rather than answer directly, he goes back to her very first question about wanting to know something good about her mother. Hamzad says she taught him the most valuable lesson in his life — you can love someone or you can trust them; no matter how deep either feeling is, eventually you must choose between the two. Emily, seen by Hamzad as her older self again, doesn't believe that. Hamzad is glad he heard it from him then, so she has time to make peace with it before the lesson decides it wants to be learned.

Hamzad hears a noise coming from the cave. He goes to check it out, telling Emily to stay behind. When she hears a gunshot she goes to the cave entrance to see what happened. But just like in episode 1, we don't see who shot who, so we'll have to wait for The Old Man season 2 episode 3 to find out what happens when Chase and Harper are confronted by Hamzad and Emily.

New episodes of The Old Man season 2 premiere Thursdays on FX, then stream on Hulu the next day.

It's been two years for viewers, but only three weeks in the world of the show when The Old Man season 2 episode 1 begins. As Chase (Jeff Bridges) and Harper (John Lithgow) ride in the back of the truck, Harper asks about Emily's childhood, like why a young Emily didn't show interest in sports until she was 9, then was adamant she play soccer.

Chase doesn't want to discuss it, insisting they focus on the task at hand. But for Harper, these stories are part of that. They'll help reassure Emily (Alia Shawkat) after her kidnapping by Afghani warlord Faraz Hamzad, her biological father, that they're the ones who know her and want what's best for her. 

The truck comes to a stop. The driver speaks with someone while Chase and Harper remain very quiet. When the truck starts back up, Chase tells Harper, "Welcome to Afghanistan."

The welcoming committee

Chase tells Harper things don't make sense here, especially the closer they get to Hamzad. They're not here to solve a crime, they just need to get to Emily as fast as possible and get out. However, they hit a delay when the truck stops unexpectedly.

Bullets start flying, forcing them to duck and cover. When the shooting stops, they make their way out of the truck to inspect the scene. Their driver is dead. Another man is dead in the road and one, wounded, is crawling back to his truck. Chase kills the survivor, guessing it was a drug gang hoping to steal cargo. The bigger problem is with the driver, Hameed, dead, they don't know where they're going. Chase insists Harper call "her," his connection that helped get them into Afghanistan. Harper is reluctant. Thankfully there's another option. He grabs the SAT phone from the driver, which shows the destination where they were supposed to meet their contact from the resistance.

As they near the destination, they come to a fork in the road. The GPS says to go left, but Chase goes right, much to Harper's frustration. Chase says this is how he remembers their working relationship, Harper always doubting him. But he was never the dumb, reckless person Harper thought he was. They come upon a building where Chase believes they'll find the resistance fighters.

However, Chase and Harper receive a hostile welcome, told they don't belong there and are taken outside at gunpoint. They are about to execute Harper when someone cries out for them to stop. A man arrives on horseback, saying he was sent by Commander Abdul Nazary of the resistance and insists Chase and Harper be let go. The man introduces himself as Omar (Artur Zai Barrera) and invites them inside as they have much to discuss.

Hamzad's Afghanistan 

Omar says there have been rumors about an FBI agent abducted by Hamzad and an expected response from Washington; are Chase and Harper the response? It's complicated, but if Omar and the resistance help them, the resistance will get funding from their contact. Omar asks what kind of trouble they are looking to cause? "The devastating kind," Chase answers. To do this, they need transport to Hamzad's valley, supplies, about 20 men and a couple of days to make their plan. 

As they travel on horseback, Omar fills Chase and Harper in on Hamzad's influence on Afghanistan. He says their fathers saw Hamzad as a hero, but he and his friends know him as a monster best avoided. When the Taliban took over, resistance fighters tried to get Hamzad to help, but he refused. The reason is because Hamzad discovered the secret Chase and Abbey/Belour (Leem Lubany) were hiding from him that prompted their escape all those years ago: one of the largest deposits of lithium in the world. Hamzad has created a fully operational mine, giving him close ties to the Taliban government. Harper asks why the Taliban just don't seize the mine from Hamzad? Because for some reason Hamzad is the only major figure that hasn't been sanctioned by the US government, making him a powerful and indispensable middle man. 

Chase asks if Omar and his men are afraid of Hamzad? He says no, but he wanted to make sure Chase and Harper knew what they were getting into before taking them any further. Harper affirms their not going back without Emily.

The monster

Chase has a flashback to when he (younger Chase played by Bill Heck), Abbey and a young Emily escaped to the US. Chase asks what they are going to tell Emily as they set about their new lives. Nothing, Abbey affirms. She wants to build Emily's future with no regard for her past and Chase as her father. Abbey makes Chase promise Emily will know nothing about Hamzad, worried he will look for her. Chase promises he won't let anything happen to Emily.

Back in the present, Omar asks how Chase knows so much about Hamzad? Chase says nothing. Omar begins to tell him the story of "Baba-khorkhore," an American who fought with Hamzad against the Russians, "a living terror." Omar asks if Chase is this monster (he is, in case you forgot), but Chase simply calls it a good story and nothing more. In the distance, they hear engines revving. Taliban patrols, Omar says, so they continue on to the camp.

When they arrive, they discover a massacre. The resistance fighters are all dead. This gets Harper to call his contact, a woman named Marion (Janet McTeer). Harper fills her in on the situation and their need for a new plan. Though Harper is concerned who may have caused the first plan to fail, seemingly insinuating Marion may be behind it. She takes offense to this; if he doesn't want her help then he should say so. But Harper does, so she will. In the meantime, she tells him to ask Ali to find them a safe place. Who's Ali? Their contact apparently, not Omar.

Meanwhile, Omar and Chase look over the bodies. Omar gets direct, wanting to know why Chase is here and who Emily is. Chase recognizes perhaps Omar is not to be trusted. Confirming this, Omar pulls a knife and attacks Chase, eventually stabbing him in the shoulder. Omar reveals he is a Taliban spy, demanding to know why Hamzad is risking his influence for Emily? Chase doesn't answer, instead telling him "some stories are true. Some monsters are real," before biting him in the neck, grabbing the knife and slashing his face. Harper arrives and he and Chase ride away. The Taliban patrol that was nearby goes after them, but they escape into a maze of rocks.

The hard truths

They find refuge in a cave Abbey would hide in and where Chase left some supplies years ago, including a first aid kit. As they recover, Chase tells Harper he should call his wife, then Marion to get him out of Afghanistan. This upsets Harper, but Chase explains Harper has people that need him and at this point Emily is almost certainly dead. He believes Hamzad will eventually see something in Emily that reminds him of Abbey, or worse Chase, and he won't be able to bear it. Chase then explains Emily's soccer story. The feeling he had when she suddenly was adamant she wanted to play wasn't surprise, it was dread. The conviction and courage she had reminded him of Hamzad, forcing him to realize it was a part of her that would eventually demand to be heard and seen. Harper feels this is just Chase's excuse to give up. Chase isn't not going anywhere though. But Harper still can.

Harper does call his wife, Cheryl (Jessica Harper). She says she got a call from Marion, who is Harper's ex-wife. This surprised her, as Harper had described her as incredibly dangerous. Harper reminds her that sometimes he has to do things he can't tell her about. Cheryl then reveals things are not good at home and asks when they are going to see him again? Are they going to see him again?

In the cave, Chase wakes to a noise. Someone emerges from the shadows behind him — it's the young Hamzad (Pej Vahdat). He says Chase does not want to find Emily now, it would be too awful for him; nor does he want to find Hamzad, not after what Chase made him. Or maybe Chase is searching for this horror; in which case, "welcome home."

Chase wakes from this dream. It's morning, and Harper is still asleep. At the entrance of the cave, Chase sees a figure — Hamzad (Navid Negahban), who is holding a gun. He raises it, cocks it and points it at Chase. The scene cuts to a view of the mountainscape when we hear a gunshot.

New episodes of The Old Man season 2 premiere Thursdays on FX, then stream on Hulu the next day.

For 45 years, the Alien movie franchise has seen the Xenomorphs terrorize poor groups of humans on various spaceships and planets (most recently in the 2024 movie Alien: Romulus), but now the iconic movie monsters are coming to Earth via a brand new TV series from Noah Hawley.

Hawley has already put his own spin on one iconic movie for FX, with the anthology series Fargo, now he looks to do the same with Alien: Earth. The series is executive produced by Ridley Scott, so the mastermind behind it all is providing some influence as well. Add in an all-star cast and there are a lot of pieces in place that could make this a must-watch series.

So when can you watch Alien: Earth? We dive into that and everything else we know about the TV series directly below.

Alien: Earth release date

We finally know when Alien: Earth is going to be arriving — Tuesday, August 12, with the first two episodes premiering on that date.

The sci-fi series air on FX at 8 pm ET/PT and be available to stream on Hulu as of 8 pm ET.

The series will stream on Disney Plus in the UK and elsewhere internationally on Wednesday, August 13.

With eight episodes in total in the season, subsequent new episodes will premiere each Tuesday at the same times.

To watch Alien: Earth on FX, you need a traditional pay-TV provider or a live TV streaming service that carries the cable channel (Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV). If you've cut the cord, a subscription to Hulu will allow you to watch the sci-fi series as soon as it becomes available. Ditto for Disney Plus for international viewers.

Alien: Earth cast

In line with Alien tradition, the lead of the series is going to be a presumably bad-ass female character, Wendy, here played by Sydney Chandler. Chandler truly started to break out in the last few years, with roles in the TV shows Pistol and Sugar, as well as the movie Don't Worry Darling, but this appears to be her first lead role.

A strong supporting cast is joining her in Alien: Earth. Here's a complete look at the cast:

According to a report by Variety, Richa Moorjani (Fargo season 5), Karen Aldridge (Severance), Enzo Cilenti (The Serpent Queen), Max Rinehart (Unforgotten), Amir Boutrous (The Crown), Victoria Masoma (first-credited role), Tom Moya (Midsomer Murders), Andy Yu (Blood & Treasure), Michael Smiley (Bad Sisters), Jamie Bisping (Rivals) and Tanapol Chuksrida (Hellhound) are also going to be part of the Alien: Earth cast.

• Timothy Olyphant (Justified: City Primeval) as Kirsh
• Alex Lawther (Andor) as Hermit
• Samuel Blenkin (Mary & George) as Boy Kavalier
• Babou Ceesay (Shardlake) as Morrow
• Adrian Edmondson (3 Body Problem) as Atom Eins
• David Rysdahl (Fargo season 5) as Arthur Sylvia
• Essie Davis (Exposure) as Dame Sylvia
• Lily Newmark (A Gentleman in Moscow) as Nibs
• Erana James (The Wilds) as Curly
• Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger) as Slightly
• Jonathan Ajayi (Vigil) as Smee
• Kit Young (Shadow and Bone) as Tootles
• Diêm Camille (Alex Rider) as Siberian
• Moe Bar-El (Tehran) as Rashidi
• Sandra Yi Sencindiver (Foundation) as Yutani

Alien: Earth plot

Here is the official synopsis for Alien: Earth:

"“When the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, Wendy and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat.”

Alien: Earth trailer

After a number of teaser trailers (which you can watch below), the official trailers for Alien: Earth is now available. Check them all out below:

Another teaser for the new show sees a space ship carrying a face hugger careening toward Earth, previewing the chaos potentially coming. Watch it right here:

FX also released a special trailer for Alien: Earth for Earth Day, which you can watch here:

And yet another teaser for the show has made its way online:

A few more looks at the series was included in this "Coming Soon" feature for Disney Plus and Hulu:

Ryan Murphy is known for his dramas and horror series, but he's also known for his take on true crime. In American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, Murphy explores the rise and fall of the NFL's Hernandez.

Hernandez was a bright star in the NFL, spending three seasons as a tight end for the New England Patriots. Hernandez and teammate Rob Gronkowski were one of the most feared duos in football and together they went all the way to Super Bowl XLVI. But Hernandez's past caught up to him; no matter how bright his success, he was continually pulled into the world of drugs and violence from his youth. He was arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd in 2013, which cemented his downward spiral.

This is the first installment in Murphy's American Sports Story franchise, which follows in the footsteps of American Crime Story and the fictional American Horror Story. Over the years, Murphy has tacked sensationalized crime stories involving O.J. Simpson, Bill Clinton, Jeffrey Dahmer and Gianni Versace.

Here's everything we know about American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez.

Next episode of American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez 

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez airs Tuesdays at 10 pm ET/PT on FX, with new episodes available to stream on Hulu the following day.

Here's what we know about the next new episode airing on November 12:

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez episode 10:
"New lawyers and a second trial offer unexpected hope, but Aaron's tortured mind struggles to withstand the weight of his deepest secrets."

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez premiered Tuesday, September 17.

We don't have a premiere date for UK viewers but as soon as one is available we'll have it for you right here.

FX is available through most cable TV subscriptions, but if you've cut the cord you can watch FX on streaming platforms like Sling TV, FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV.

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez episode guide

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez episode 1: "If It's to Be"
"Young Aaron grows up with high aspirations and immense pressure for his football career, but when tragedy strikes, his fate falls into new hands."

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez episode 2: "Consequences, with Extreme Prejudice"
"Aaron faces college level competition on the field and distractions off of it. He learns that the rules work differently when you're a team asset."

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez episode 3: "Pray the Gay Away"
"Aaron's star status brings him acclaim, but he struggles to resist hidden temptations and seeks counsel from an unlikely source."

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez episode 4: "Birthday Money"
"Aaron prepares for the NFL Draft with high hopes, but secrets from his past threaten to unravel his NFL prospects."

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez episode 5: "The Man"
"Aaron reconnects with an old love interest and seeks out a dangerous new friend."

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez episode 6: "Herald Street"
"As his NFL stardom rises, Aaron commits a violent act that casts a haunting shadow over his picture-perfect life."

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez episode 7: "Dirty Pain"
"Fearing for his life, Aaron goes to California for surgery and a fresh start but he cannot escape his growing paranoia."

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez episode 8: "Odin"
"When tragic news sends Aaron deeper into his mental turmoil, he tries to find reprieve in an ill-fated new friendship."

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez episode 9: "What's Left Behind"
"With Aaron behind bars, the women in his life are forced to face their new reality and make a difficult decision."

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez plot

Here's the official synopsis of American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez from FX:

"The first installment of American Sports Story is based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. from The Boston Globe and Wondery. The 10-episode limited series charts the rise and fall of NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez and explores the disparate strands of his identity, his family, his career, his suicide and their legacy in sports and American culture."

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez cast

Below you'll find the talented cast lined up for American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez:

• Josh Rivera (West Side Story) as Aaron Hernandez
• Jaylen Barron (Good Luck Charlie) as Shayanna Jenkins
• Lindsay Mendez (Station 19) as Tanya Singleton
• Ean Castellanos (Five Days at Memorial) as DJ Hernandez
• Tammy Blanchard (Into the Woods) as Terri Hernandez
• Tony Yazbeck (Billions) as Urban Meyer
• Patrick Schwarzenegger (Gen V) as Tim Tebow
• Thomas Sadoski (The Newsroom) as Brian Murphy
• Jake Cannavale (Burse Jackie) as Chris
• Norbert Leo Butz (Dan in Real Life) as Bill Belichick

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez trailer

Take a look at the trailer for American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez below.

It wouldn't be fall television without Ryan Murphy...and Travis Kelce. The new FX horror drama Grotesquerie is the latest addition to Murphy's impressive collection of horror series.

It's worth mentioning that there will be five Ryan Murphy shows airing during the fall 2024 television season. In addition to Grotesquerie on FX, viewers will also be treated to 9-1-1 season 8 and Doctor Odyssey on ABC, 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 on Fox and American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez on FX.

While American Horror Story season 13 has been greenlit, there is no timeline for the next season's release, which means Grotesquerie could be the only show to fill Murphy's fall horror quota for the 2024 season while AHS moves to the spring.

Here's everything we know about Grotesquerie.

Next episode of Grotesquerie 

Grotesquerie premieres with two back-to-back episodes on Wednesday, September 25, at 10 pm ET/PT on FX. New episodes will be available to stream on Hulu the following day.

Here's what we know about the season finale airing October 30:

Grotesquerie episode 10: "Lois questions everything she thought she knew."

We don't have an exact date for a UK premiere yet, but FX has indicated that the series will be available to international viewers on Disney Plus "soon."

FX is available through most cable TV subscriptions, but if you've cut the cord you can watch FX on streaming platforms like Sling TV, FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV.

Grotesquerie episode guide

Grotesquerie episode 1: "A crime rattles a small-town community."

Grotesquerie episode 2: "Lois accepts the help of a nun to investigate the recent crimes."

Grotesquerie episode 3: "Detective Lois finds comfort in a surprising person at the hospital."

Grotesquerie episode 4: "Lois gets a strange clue about Mr. Grotesquerie that leads her to a remote location."

Grotesquerie episode 5: "Lois finds herself one step closer to the killer."

Grotesquerie episode 6: "A heinous new discovery leads Lois to someone from her past."

Grotesquerie episode 7: "Lois is forced to make a difficult decision. "

Grotesquerie episode 8: "Lois accepts the help of a specialist."

Grotesquerie episode 9: "Lois contemplates a new future."

Grotesquerie premise

Here's the premise of Grotesquerie from FX:

"In FX’s Grotesquerie, a series of heinous crimes have unsettled a small community. 'Detective Lois Tryon' feels these crimes are eerily personal, as if someone—or something—is taunting her. At home, Lois grapples with a strained relationship with her daughter, a husband in long-term hospital care and her own inner demons. With no leads and unsure of where to turn, she accepts the help of 'Sister Megan,' a nun and journalist with the Catholic Guardian. Sister Megan, with her own difficult past, has seen the worst of humanity, yet she still believes in its capacity for good. Lois, on the other hand, fears the world is succumbing to evil. As Lois and Sister Megan string together clues, they find themselves ensnared in a sinister web that only seems to raise more questions than answers."

Grotesquerie cast

Take a look at the cast of Grotesquerie and the characters they play below:

• Niecy Nash-Betts (Reno 9-1-1) as Detective Lois Tryon
• Courtney B. Vance (The Hunt for Red October) as Marshall Tryon
• Lesley Manville (Another Year) as Nurse Redd
• Micaela Diamond (tick, tick...BOOM) as Sister Megan
• Nicholas Alexander Chavez (General Hospital) as Father Charlie
• Raven Goodwin (The Station Agent) as Merritt Tryon
• Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs) in an unannounced role

Grotesquerie trailer

There's no trailer for Grotesquerie just yet, but you can take a look at the first teaser for the new series below.

Fans of The Old Man, our long wait is almost over. Yes, the critically acclaimed spy drama is finally coming back after more than two years on September 12, and that itself is exciting enough. But another fantastic bit of news came to light thanks to The Old Man season 2 trailer: Dave and Carol are back!

The trusty Rottweilers of Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) were last seen being put in a very swanky dog hotel as Chase and Zoe (Amy Brenneman) went abroad to try and evade the FBI and deal with Chase's past. It was a very emotional goodbye as viewers had become extremely attached to the two dogs and we didn't know if we would ever see them again. Turns out we will, but the circumstances in which they are coming back may be a bit of a surprise. It appears the dogs have new loyalty: to Zoe.

As many of you likely recall, Zoe was initially dragged into Chase's problems when he rented her guest house and then FBI agents attacked. She was very much over her head in the beginning, so Chase made sure she was protected when he wasn't there with Dave and Carol. Though she began to gain more confidence and aptitude in the spy games as things went on, Chase still felt it best to send her home at the end of The Old Man season 1. Zoe wasn't thrilled with that, and now it seems she is using her newfound confidence to turn things on their head.

In The Old Man season 2 trailer, Zoe appears with Dave and Carol at her feet. She clearly retrieved the dogs and bonded with them even more. So much so that it looks like one of the dogs growls at Chase. That's a helluva power play by Zoe to potentially turn Chase's own dogs against him.

So we can all be happy that The Old Man season 2 is bringing back Dave and Carol, but there was plenty more to get excited about in the trailer. Let's take a closer look at some more standout moments.

• Sticking with Zoe, let's take a real look at that first moment she appears in the trailer. Not only does she have Dave and Carol with her, but she is at the home of Joel Grey's Morgan Bote, the sinister authority figure who wanted Chase dead last season. She says in voiceover, "I understand now. What the stakes are." Then she is seen talking to Chase, "It's a scary thing, this weapon that I've been given." Damsel in distress no more. Zoe is going to be a major player this season.
• I was in the camp that Alia Shawkat deserved an Emmy nomination for her performance in The Old Man season 1. Alas, it did not come to pass. But she looks great again here. It should be riveting to see the journey her character goes through now that she is being held by her biological father, Faraz Hamzad (Navid Negahban), where she will learn more about Chase. Plus, it seems like the two are destined to finally share the screen together, which should be electric.
• The action looks great. One of the things that we loved about The Old Man is the scenes between Bridges, Shawkat, Brenneman and John Lithgow. They were so well performed that they were as tense and entertaining to watch as the show's action scenes. I fully expect that to continue, but the action set pieces look bigger and better than ever this season. And with Chase on the warpath to get his daughter back, I can only imagine what's in store. 

You can catch up with The Old Man season 1 right now on Hulu in the US ahead of the show’s September 12 premiere on FX (there isn't a UK release date yet, but like season 1 it'll stream on Disney Plus). 

In the meantime, check out the trailer for The Old Man season 2 right here:

Joining Abbott Elementary on TV as a comedy rooted in the world of teaching comes the new series English Teacher. 

The show comes just in time to help round out the fall 2024-2025 TV slate. Given it airs on FX, we anticipate English Teacher will boast more colorful language and perhaps topics than Abbott Elementary which airs on a traditional broadcasting network. Intrigued? 

Here’s everything we know about English Teacher. 

English Teacher release date

The first two episodes of English Teacher premiere on Monday, September 2, at 10 pm ET/PT on FX. 

English Teacher is an FX original series, and as such, it airs directly on FX. The channel is available through most cable TV subscriptions, but if you've cut the cord you can watch FX on live-TV streaming platforms like Sling TV, FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV. Episodes become available to stream the day after they air on Hulu.   

English Teacher plot

Here’s an extensive summary of English Teacher from FX:

"FX’s English Teacher is a comedy series created by Brian Jordan Alvarez, in which he stars as Evan Marquez, a high school teacher in Austin, Texas who often finds himself at the intersection of the personal, professional and political aspects of working at a high school.

"Evan wants to be a principled person but often runs into trouble because of it. By Evan’s side at Morrison-Hensley High is his friend group of other teachers. Chief among them is his best friend Gwen Sanders (Stephanie Koenig), the eager and optimistic history teacher who tends to see the best in people, even when she probably shouldn’t. Then there’s PE teacher Markie Hillridge (Sean Patton). Though he can seem gruff and abrasive, beneath the surface, he possesses a knowledge of human nature that often proves valuable to Evan. When they aren’t disagreeing, Markie and Evan share a genuine bond… but they’re usually disagreeing.

"Principal Grant Moretti (Enrico Colantoni) wants nothing more than peace and the path of least resistance—a path Evan is rarely willing to take. While Grant keeps his own opinions close to the vest, he respects Evan’s passion, even if it makes his own job more difficult. Guidance Counselor Rick (Carmen Christopher) barely wants to be at this school—he sees himself as an entrepreneur—but still loves hanging out with the other teachers. Evan’s boyfriend Malcolm (Jordan Firstman) is a former teacher at Morrison. Wild and free-thinking, Malcolm often draws Evan back into a pseudo-relationship.

"When Grant informs Evan that he is being placed under investigation for a long-dormant incident where he and Malcolm kissed in front of students, Evan suddenly feels that he’s under a microscope and is being targeted for his sexuality. Evan is left with one rule to abide by: no relationships with faculty… only to meet Harry (Langston Kerman), a charming new teacher who seems to be interested in him.

"Over the eight-episode season, we follow Evan as he navigates his relationships, his students and his fellow faculty and tries to answer the question: can you really be your full self at your job?"

English Teacher cast

Brian Jordan Alvarez not only created the series, but he also stars in it as Evan Marquez. Over the last few years, Alvarez has been featured in projects such as 80 for Brady, M3GAN and A Spy Movie. 

He’s joined in the English Teacher by Stephanie Koenig (Lessons in Chemistry), Sean Patton (The Prank), Enrico Colantoni (Allegiance), Carmen Christopher (The Bear), Jordan Firstman (You People) and Langston Kerman (The Boys).

English Teacher trailer

Check out this trailer for the new series which contains a few funny moments. 

One of the big hits of the summer 2022 TV season was The Old Man, a spy thriller starring Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, Amy Brenneman and Alia Shawkat. We knew pretty soon after its airing that we would be getting more, but it's been a long wait for The Old Man season 2. Well, that wait is over.

Fans who were pulled into the mystery of Dan Chase and his past are getting answers as The Old Man season 2 is now playing. Meaning after two years, we will finally see the fallout of the season 1 twist ending.

Here is everything that we know about The Old Man season 2.

The Old Man season 2 next episode

The finale for The Old Man season 2 airs Thursday, October 24, at 10 pm ET/PT on FX.

All episodes are available to stream the day after they air on Hulu.

FX is a cable network that is available through most traditional pay-TV providers as well as many live TV streaming services, including Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV. To watch the show on-demand on Hulu, you need to sign up for the streamer as a standalone service, as part of Hulu with Live TV or bundle it with Disney Plus in the Disney Bundle.

For those in the UK and others outside the US, The Old Man season 2 is going to premiere on Disney Plus on November 6.

The Old Man season 2 cast

The Old Man cast was astounding in the first season. Their brilliant performances (along with the high-quality writing) made monologues just as riveting to watch as the show's action sequences. The good news is that all of the main players are back for season 2.

Jeff Bridges returns as Dan Chase, the enigmatic former spy, as does John Lithgow as Harold Harper, the FBI Assistant Director and Chase's former handler. Then there is Alia Shawkat as Emily Chase, daughter of Dan, who for years was undercover as Harper's assistant. Also back is Amy Brenneman as Zoe McDonald, who was dragged into this world of spies by Dan, and Gbenga Akinnagbe as Julian Carson, an assassin who was hired to kill Dan but is now at a crossroads.

Though we saw very little of him in season 1, Navid Negahban is also back in the role of Faraz Hamzad, a powerful Afghan tribal leader who has a history with Dan. Also coming back (as revealed by the trailer) is Joel Grey and, perhaps more importantly, Dave and Carol, he Rottweilers that became fan favorites.

A new addition to the cast that has been announced is Jacqueline Antaramian, who plays Khadija, Hamzad's sister and trusted advisor.

The Old Man season 2 plot

If you want a detailed recap of what happened at the end of The Old Man season 1, read our ending explained bit below. But as we look ahead to the new season, here is the official synopsis for The Old Man season 2:

"In season 2 of FX's The Old Man, former CIA agent Dan Chase and former FBI Assistant Director Harold Harper set off on their most important mission to date —
to recover Emily Chase after she is kidnapped by Faraz Hamzad, a powerful Afghan tribal leader. With all three men claiming her as their daughter, Emily finds herself in an identity crisis that has dire implications.

"As Chase and Harper fight their way to get to Emily, Hamzad is forced to make decisions that could endanger his family and the village he has led faithfully for a lifetime. Khadija, Hamzad's sister and trusted advisor, is concerned about the path her brother has taken and what it will cost them. As the stakes get higher and more secrets are uncovered, Zoe McDonald makes surprising moves after having been drawn into a new world by Chase. Meanwhile, Julian Carson is disillusioned by his former role and finds himself at a crossroads with a path he hadn't imagined for himself."

The Old Man season 2 recaps

We will have complete recaps of The Old Man season 2 episodes, which you'll be able to access right here. But as we wait for the first episodes to premiere, here is the synopsis for the first two episodes.

The Old Man season 2 episode 1, "VIII"
"Now in Afghanistan, Dan Chase and Harold Harper have to evade the Taliban in order to save Emily." Read WTW's The Old Man season 2 episode 1 recap.

The Old Man season 2 episode 2, "IX"
"Emily Chase learns of her true identity as the daughter of Faraz Hamzad while outside forces threaten her and her new family." Read WTW's The Old Man season 2 episode 2 recap.

The Old Man season 2 episode 3, "X"
"Dan and Emily Chase reunite for the first time in many years and must protect the Hamzad village from the Taliban." Read WTW's The Old Man season 2 episode 3 recap.

The Old Man season 2 episode 4, "XI"
"Chase and Harper try to convince Morgan Bote to help Emily, but when Zoe McDonald resurfaces, they realize the story's much bigger than they thought." Read WTW's The Old Man season 2 episode 4 recap.

The Old Man season 2 episode 5, "XII"
"Chase, Harper and Zoe take refuge in Harper's house only to receive tragic news." Read WTW's The Old Man season 2 episode 5 recap.

The Old Man season 2 episode 6, "XIII"
" Chase and Zoe must track down Hamzad's lawyer in London, while Harper must recruit an unlikely partner. " Read WTW's The Old Man season 2 episode 6 recap.

The Old Man season 2 episode 7, "XIV"
"Chase is taken captive by Suleyman Pavlovich as he risks everything to save Zoe. Harper must go to the opposite end of the earth to confront his past." Read WTW's The Old Man season 2 episode 7 recap.

The Old Man season 2 episode 8, "XV"
"Everything is on the line as Zoe must save Chase's life, while Harper's misstep puts him in peril." Read WTW's The Old Man season 2 episode 8 recap.

The Old Man season 2 trailer

Watch The Old Man season 2 trailer right here:

You can also check out the UK trailer for The Old Man season 2 on Disney Plus:

The Old Man season 1 ending explained

As we eagerly wait for The Old Man season 2, let’s recap how things wrapped up in season 1. SPOILER ALERT if you are not caught up with The Old Man.

The entire first season centered on Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) an ex-spy whose life is upended when a figure from his past, Faraz Hamzad (Pej Vahdat), seeks him out after many years. Trying to bring Chase in and de-escalate the situation are the FBI’s Harold Harper (John Lithgow), his trusted protege Angela Adams (Alia Shawkat) and young CIA agent Raymond Waters (EJ Bonilla). Chase, meanwhile, ends up becoming involved with a single mom, Zoe (Amy Brenneman), who joins him on the run from the FBI and, for an extra challenge, a highly trained assassin, Julian (Gbenga Akinnagbe), recommended to Harper by the shadowy power player Morgan Bote (Joel Grey).

The big reveal before the season 1 finale was that Angela Adams is actually an alias for Emily Chase, Dan Chase's daughter with the former wife of Hamzad (the duo escaped Hamzad together in the 80s). When Harper learns her true identity, he starts to question his relationship with her, but that all changes when she is kidnapped, forcing him to team up with Chase to get her back.

This leads into the season 1 finale, where Chase agrees to surrender himself to Hamzad with the promise that Emily will be safe. This also means saying goodbye to Zoe. As Harper transports Chase, he wants to know more about the flight that he helped arrange for Chase to escape Hamzad and the reason all this happened, so he can explain it to Emily. Before Chase says anything though, they learn that Hamzad is not keeping his promise of keeping Emily out of it.

Julian and Raymond were part of the crew that kidnapped Emily, but with the belief it would be to hold and protect her. However, they realize that they are surrounded by Hamzad’s men and need to escape. While Julian is able to take out a number of men so Raymond and Emily can make a break for it, when they stop for a woman in the street she pulls out a gun and shoots Raymond and takes Emily.

Chase and Harper arrive on the scene too late. It’s now that Chase reveals to Harper the details of the flight — there were three passengers, not two: Chase, Hamzad’s wife and Hamzad’s young daughter, who Chase took in as his own.

The final moments of the season see an older Hamzad lay eyes on his long-lost daughter, Emily.

How does The Old Man TV show differ from the book?

The Old Man is based on the Thomas Perry novel, The Old Man, but how closely does the TV adaptation stay true to its source material? Let's go into some of the biggest changes.

One difference is why Chase is on the run from Hamzad (Hamzah in the book). In the show, Chase escaped Hamzad, an Afghan war-lord during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, with his wife and, we later learn, his young daughter. However, in the book, Hamzah, written as being from Libya, is after Chase because he took $20 million from him. This gives additional depth to the character of Abbey Chase and how her death impacts Chase in the show.

Along those same lines, Emily is different in the TV show than she was in the book. The show reveals Emily has a double life as Angela Adams, working with Harold Harper in the FBI, and is later revealed to actually be the daughter of Hamzad. The book version of Emily, however, has no alias or connection to Hamzad.

There are other differences, like name changes, settings and some character backstories (Julian being one example), but above are the ones that have major impacts on The Old Man season 1.

The Old Man book is a standalone novel, so it'll be interesting to see if these changes continue to impact and alter the story of the novel, or if the creators will find a way to work it all into how the original novel ended.

Saying Ghostbusters is a beloved pop-cultural franchise would be an understatement. In the three decades since the original Ivan Reitman-directed Ghostbusters movie premiered on June 8, 1984—with an all-star comedic cast that includes Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis, among others—the supernatural franchise has spawned sequels and reboots (including 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife and 2024's Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) as well as countless video games, comic books, haunted attractions and more. 

And now the fan-favorite fantastical comedy—which follows a team of eccentric parapsychologists who start a ghost-catching business in New York City and have to save the world from utter destruction after stumbling upon a spooky gateway to another dimension—is turning 40 years old this weekend and to celebrate, you can tune into not only the original flicks but also the more recent remakes on TV tonight and tomorrow.

On Saturday, June 8, Syfy is airing the 1984 Ghostbusters from 7:05pm to 9:30pm Eastern Time, followed directly by its sequel, 1989's Ghostbusters II, until 11:55pm ET. Like the original film, the sequel also features Murray, Aykroyd, Ramis and the rest of the O.G. gang who reunite when a new paranormal threat emerges (a mass of supernatural slime that amassed from the negative emotions of New Yorkers) in New York City. 

Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which was directed by Ivan Reitman's son Jason Reitman, is a direct sequel to the 1989 film, with several of the original actors reprising their beloved characters and joining new castmates like Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd. You can see that film airing on TV on Sunday, June 9 from 8pm to 10:30pm Eastern Time on FX, with a repeat screening following directly after. 

Both Syfy and FX channels are included in most cable TV packages—in order to tune into the Ghostbusters airings this weekend, you need to have either a traditional pay-TV service or a live TV streaming service that carries the networks. In the case of the latter, Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV all carry Syfy and FX as part of their channel lineup. Happy Ghostbusters Day!

The Bear has been one of the most acclaimed and talked about shows over the last couple of years, but if you aren't a Hulu subscriber you've been missing out. Despite being produced by FX, The Bear has streamed its first two seasons exclusively on Hulu. But with The Bear season 3 set to debut on June 27, again only on Hulu, FX is letting US viewers who've missed out on the show finally give it a try.

Starting Sunday, June 2, FX is airing a The Bear season 1 marathon, marking the first time that the award-winning series is airing on cable TV. The winner of 10 Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series, The Bear season 1 follows Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a young chef who worked in the world of fine dining, as he comes home to run his brother's old sandwich shop following his death. Carmy must deal with his strong-willed and recalcitrant kitchen staff as he tries to turn the small business around, as well as his strained familial relationships.

FX is airing The Bear season 1 across four nights, with two episodes a night starting at 10 pm ET/PT. Here is the official schedule:

• Sunday, June 2, 10 pm ET/PT: The Bear season 1 episodes 1 & 2
• Monday, June 3, 10 pm ET/PT: The Bear season 1 episodes 3 & 4
• Tuesday, June 4, 10 pm ET/PT: The Bear season 1 episodes 5 & 6
• Wednesday, June 5, 10 pm ET/PT: The Bear season 1 episodes 7 & 8

In addition to White, The Bear season 1 stars Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Liza Colón-Zayas, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, Edwin Lee Gibson, Corey Hendrix, Richard Esteras, Jose M. Cervantes and Oliver Platt.

Few TV shows in recent memory have caused the same level of excitement among viewers than The Bear. The first two seasons, in addition to all of the awards (and quickly being added to the WTW list of 100 best TV shows of all time), became pop culture talking points. So if you were wondering why people were craving an Italian beef sandwich or were calling each other "cousin" all the time despite not being related, then tune in to The Bear season 1 marathon to find out.

In order to do that, you need to have either a traditional pay-TV service or a live TV streaming service that carries FX. In the case of the latter, Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV all carry FX as part of their channel lineup.

If after watching The Bear season 1 you want to catch up with The Bear season 2 ahead of season 3's release, then you're going to need access to Hulu, which is available as a standalone streaming service, is included in both Hulu with Live TV and Disney Plus, or can be combined with Disney Plus and ESPN Plus for a single monthly price with the Disney Bundle.

Still need some convincing to check it out? Watch The Bear season 1 trailer directly below:

Shogun, one of the most acclaimed TV shows 2024 and winner of 18 Emmys, brilliantly adapted James Clavell's classic novel of warring lords in Feudal Japan. But despite the 10 episodes that we got wrapping up just about everything that Clavell covered in his book, the story of Shogun is not over yet.

FX has confirmed that not only is Shogun season 2 on the way, but so is Shogun season 3. After the series became FX's most watched show ever based on global hours streamed, it's not surprising they would want to continue to dive into this rich world of characters.

But if there are no other Shogun books, how is the story going to continue? And is there a timeline for when we are going to be getting new episodes? We've gathered everything we know about Shogun season 2 for you right here and will keep it updated as news comes out.

Shogun season 2 release date

We still don't have a release date for Shogun season 2, but FX has officially announced that production on the new season will begin in January 2026. With that in mind, the earliest that we would likely then get new episodes is summer 2026, though fall 2026 or later is probably more likely.

While you wait, you can either catch up or rewatch Shogun season 1 on Hulu in the US or on Disney Plus in the UK.

Shogun season 2 cast

Shogun season 2 will continue the story of Yoshii Toranaga and John Blackthorne, as Hiroyuki Sanada and Cosmo Jarvis are the first confirmed cast members for the new season.

For Sanada, who is also a producer on Shogun, Toranaga has quickly become his defining role. However, the Japanese-born actor is also known for The Last Samurai, Westworld, Mortal Kombat, Bullet Train and John Wick: Chapter 4.

Similarly, Shogun was a breakout role for Jarvis. Recently he has starred in the movies The Alto Knights are Warfare.

We'll update this post when more additions to the Shogun cast are announced.

Shogun season 2 plot

As mentioned, Shogun season 2 (and any seasons beyond it) are not going to be based on Clavell's writing, instead they will take the story to new places. FX teased just what that will mean, saying in its official announcement that the new season will picks up 10 years after the events of season 1 and "continue  the historically-inspired saga of these two men from different worlds whose fates are inextricably entwined," referring to Toranaga and Blackthorne.

If you need a reminder on exactly what happened in Shogun, you can read our recaps by clicking on the links just to the side. Or for a quick summary, continue reading below:

Set in Japan in the year 1600 at the dawn of a century-defining civil war, Lord Yoshii Toranaga is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him. When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, its English pilot, John Blackthorne, comes bearing secrets that could help Toranaga tip the scales of power and devastate the formidable influence of Blackthorne's own enemies.

At the end of the series, it is revealed that Toranaga was using Blackthorne to enact his plan that would allow him to claim the title of Shogun and bring about a new and lasting peace in Japan.

The next few seasons should explore how Toranaga goes about creating his vision for Japan, which is sure to face some obstacles from his fellow lords.

Series star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada was recently on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and he discussed their strategy for how they'll move forward with the Shogun now that they've eclipse the book.

Shogun season 2 trailer

There is no trailer for Shogun season 2 at this time, and we're probably quite some time away from having one. But one is released online, we'll add it here. 

Sure, this weekend has the 2024 Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo, but Star Wars Day is the holiday that we're all really excited about. May the Fourth is informally known as Star Wars Day (based on the famous Star Wars quote "May the force be with you"), a calendar date set aside to commemorate and celebrate the George Lucas-created sci-fi world. 

And though it's not an official holiday from Lucasfilm, Star Wars fans have fully embraced the annual observation and take it as a time to revisit the nine films that comprise The Skywalker Saga. And this year, TV networks are making it easy for movie lovers wanting to watch the three trilogies that make up the Star Wars series, with galactical movie marathons airing all weekend long.

The Star War movies are coming to cable on TBS, which will be airing all three trilogies throughout today, May 4 and tomorrow, May 5. Start with the original trilogy starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford—1977's Episode IV: A New Hope, 1980's Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Episode VI: Return of the Jedi)—followed by the most recent trio of films, which added Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac and John Boyega to the cast (2015's Episode VII: The Force Awakens, 2017's Episode VIII: The Last Jedi and 2019's Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker). 

Then you can take in how the whole story began with the prequels led by Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor (1999's Episode I: The Phantom Menace, 2002's Episode II: Attack of the Clones and 2005's Episode III: Revenge of the Sith). (BTW, here's how to watch all of the Star Wars movies in order, as well as how to keep track of Darth Vader's timelines.) 

Check out the TBS schedule for timings for each film airing. TBS is available with most cable TV subscriptions. If you've cut the cord you have several live TV streaming service options so that you can catch the weekly action. Some of your options include Max, Sling TV, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV.

FX will also be airing the various Star Wars films today, May the Fourth, so you can hang out with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and the rest of your favorite characters all day long. Reference the FX schedule to see what movie's playing at what time.

And if you want to watch the Star Wars films beyond May the Fourth, all of the movies and shows in the Star Wars universe are available to stream with Disney Plus. That includes all three trilogies as well as spin-off "anthology" films like Rogue One and Solo, and TV series including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor and The Mandalorian. Current Disney Plus subscriptions include the "Duo Basic" option (with Disney Plus and Hulu for $9.99 per month) and the "Trio Basic" plan (with Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN+ for $14.99 monthly). 

Shōgun episode 10, "A Dream Of A Dream," opens up on an elderly Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) sleeping bed. We can hear English children discussing their grandfather's Japanese weapons. One of his grandchildren asks about the chipped sword he proudly displays, "Was it really given to you by a savage?"

Holding onto Mariko's crucifix, Blackthorne just lays back in bed, as the sound of Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) waking him up rings in his ear. Suddenly we're back at Osaka Castle, where Blackthorne tries to tend to an unconscious Mariko (Anna Sawai). But he's too late, she died from the blast. As Yabushige watches on, Blackthorne asks for God's forgiveness.

Here's what happened in the Shōgun finale, "A Dream of a Dream."

War is inevitable

At a Regents Council meeting, Saeki (Eita Okuno) gives Ishido (Takehiro Hira) a letter of protest from Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) over Mariko's death. Toranaga is now preparing for war. Ishido insists all that matters is the rest of the council remains united and they have Lady Ochiba (Fumi Nikaido) and Yaechiyo's (Sen Mars) backing.

But Kiyama (Hiromoto Ida) and Ohno (Takeshi Kurokawa) are openly against Ishido, with Kiyama disgusted Ishido ordered such a "dishonorable attack." Ishido tries to shift blame to Toranaga, saying he is trying to grow discontent between the council. Ultimately, they agree war is inevitable. 

Yabushige tells Ishido he thought Mariko would only be captured, but Ishido says there was nothing that could be done. Thanks to his actions, Yabushige will now get a seat on the council once Toranaga is defeated, with Ishido telling him to gather his army and wait for his command. But Yabushige has been severely affected by Mariko's death.

Awaiting death

Blackthorne wakes, having had visions of himself as an old man mixed with memories of Mariko. He missed Mariko's funeral and now is being transported to the harbor by Kiyama's men so he can return to Toranaga.

Father Martin (Tommy Bastow) updates Blackthorne on the situation, telling him Toranaga will be dead in weeks. But Blackthorne insists Toranaga will survive and that his plan has worked at the cost of Mariko. 

Blackthorne expects to be killed on the journey to the harbor. But Martin reveals Mariko made the church promise to spare Blackthorne before she died. 

On the galley, Yabushige tells Blackthorne they should never have gone to Osaka. He wants them to take the Erasmus to England. But when they get back to Ajiro the Erasmus has been sunk. Blackthorne is told the Christians did it in the dead of night. Toranaga is ravaging the village to find out who helped. 

As soon as they get onto land, a regretful Omi (Hiroto Kanai) takes Yabushige prisoner and tells him his guards are now under Toranaga's command. Toranaga tells Yabushige he was seen allowing intruders into his quarters the night Mariko died, while Omi also has evidence he was guilt-ridden and pleading for forgiveness after her death. 

Yabushige admits to being involved. Toranaga orders him to commit Seppuku before sunset tomorrow. After refusing Yabushige's request for Blackthorne to second his death, Toranaga agrees to do it. 

Elsewhere, Lady Fuji (Moeka Hoshi) tells Blackthorne she's going to become a nun. Blackthorne orders her to stay, but says she's no longer his consort as her service to Toranaga is complete. Blackthorne says she served him well. Later, Blackthorne helps Fuji finally bury the heads of her dead husband and son at sea, and she helps him throw Mariko's crucifix in, too. 

Toranaga tells Blackthorne he is disgusted by the destruction of Erasmus and won't rest until the saboteur is found. But Blackthorne wants Toranaga to stop terrorizing Ajiro, saying Mariko burned the ship, as she hated his war against the Catholics. He has no desire to fight his war anymore.

Toranaga refuses his request. He'll only stop once the disloyal have all been found. Blackthorne offers himself to die instead of any more villagers, which Toranaga refuses. Blackthorne briefly considers his future-self. Then pulls out a sword, protests Toranaga's callous punishment of this village and attempts Seppuku. But Toranaga stops him.

Toranaga tells Blackthorne if he's finally done, he needs to rebuild Erasmus and build a new fleet.

Japan's future 

As Ajiro returns to peace, Omi takes Yabushige out to be killed. He thanks Yabushige for trying to make him his heir and saying their family name is in safe hands. Yabushige admits he always considered Omi the son he never had. Yabushige then tells Toranaga he wishes he could stay alive to see Omi in battle, Blackthorne sailing against the Christians and Toranaga's plan coming together. 

Toranaga reveals he was actually the one who burned Blackthorne's ship, insisting it was a ruse to test him. Toranaga doesn't think it's Blackthorne's fate to leave Japan. Toranaga also admits he's repeatedly thought of killing Blackthorne. He kept him alive — not because he made his banner stronger — but because he made him laugh and was a distraction to his enemies. 

Yabushige asks how Toranaga is going to beat the council considering his fleet is outnumbered. Toranaga explains he sent Mariko to do what an army never could. He says in a month, five armies will square off on the field of battle. Mariko’s actions have already forced Lady Ochiba to tire of Ishido. In a secret letter to Toranaga, she pledged to keep the heir's army from the battlefield. Ishido will have no banner to fight under and the regents will turn on him before the fight begins. Toranaga plans to start a new center of power in Edo and have Japan be a nation without wars — an era of great peace, made possible by all of the sacrifices that those closest to him have made. 

Yabushige calls Toranaga a hypocrite, saying Toranaga is no better than any of them in his secret heart, accusing him of seeking to become Shōgun, something Toranaga always denied. Toranaga refuses to tell Yabushige that part of the future, as he is a dead man. Yabushige then commits Seppuku. 

As the villagers help Blackthorne pull the ship out of the water, Buntaro (Shin'nosuke Abe) approaches him. He puts his swords down and helps them. He makes all the difference and the ship emerges from the water. Blackthorne and Buntaro then share water. Toranaga watches on from a distance, then stares out to sea, patiently waiting for his plan to unfold. 

All episodes of Shōgun are now available to stream on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.

Shōgun episode 9, "Crimson Sky," opens up 14 years before our main story during a brutal snowstorm in the Shōnai region. Mariko (Anna Sawai) is being chased through the storm by a number of men, who finally catch her and return her to warmth. This is the third time she's tried to escape. 

A tearful Mariko is introduced to Father Martin (Tommy Barstow), who talks to her about the power of faith, and gives her a rosary. She accepts it and begins to pray as her tears begin to subside. 

What else happens in Shōgun episode 9, "Crimson Sky?" Take a look below to find out. 

Back in Osaka

Mariko, Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), and Yabushige's (Tadanobu Asano) ship arrives in Osaka. Mariko insists her being sent here by Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) has nothing to do with Blackthorne. They are immediately met by Ishido's (Takehiro Hira) men, who take them to Osaka Castle, where a member from every noble family has been taken hostage so no one can oppose Ishido. Yabushige tells Blackthorne he wants him by his side when they meet Ishido tomorrow. 

Yabushige and Blackthorne are welcomed by Lady Ochiba (Fumi Nikaido), Ishido and Yaechiyo (Sen Mars). Yabushige surrenders to the council on Toranaga's behalf. After being reminded by Ishido that he helped Toranaga escape and also killed Jozen (Nobuya Shimamoto), Yabushige offers Blackthorne to them as a gift. Ishido says Yaechiyo has no interest in Blackthorne.

Mariko then sits before Ochiba, Ishido and Yaechiyo and declares she is leaving Osaka tomorrow with Toranaga's wife, Lady Kiri (Yoriko Dōguchi), and his consort, Lady Shizu (Mako Fujimoto), so they can reunite in Edo. This provokes sighs of disbelief from those in attendance. Mariko says they'll happily return on the day Toranaga is required, unless they’re all confined here. Through gritted teeth, Ishido says no one is confined.

Ishido says Kiri and Shizu can leave, but Mariko must stay. But Mariko declares she is leaving because that's what Toranaga wants. She then adds that, as the daughter of the great Lord Akechi Jinsai, she won't be spoken down to like a peasant and will never be held captive, hostage or confined. She reminds everyone confined in Osaka Castle they should feel the same way. 

Afterwards Yabushige is enraged by Mariko's show of disobedience. He wants to know of Toranaga's plans, but Mariko won't reveal them. When they're alone, Blackthorne reminds Mariko the guards will kill her if she tries to go. But this is all part of her plan. Even Mariko's son threatening to disown her, won't change her mind.

Mariko's exit  

A crowd gathers to watch Mariko's exit with Kiri and Shizu. They're asked by the guards if they have Ishido's permission to depart. They don't. Mariko orders Toranaga's soldiers to kill the guards. All of Toranaga's guards are killed, as more of Ishido's men arrive to block Mariko's exit. 

Mariko asks Lords Ohno (Takeshi Kurokawa) and Kiyama (Hiromoto Ida) to order the men out of the way. Kiyama says they're not allowed to. This proves Mariko's point that everyone is being kept at Osaka Castle against their will. Kiyama wants to order a meeting. But Mariko says her orders are clear from Toranaga and she must leave Osaka Castle now. She slowly approaches the exit. Warning arrows are fired around her. She's then handed a weapon and prepares to fight the guards. Kiyama shouts that she must not be harmed. 

Mariko pushes back the guards, who don't strike her, but instead block her exit. She ultimately falls down to the ground, declaring it's not possible for her to leave because Isihdo's men have stopped her. She says she can't live with the offense of not doing her duty to Toranaga and will take her life at sunset. She asks Kiyama to be her second. She then retreats back inside Osaka Castle.

What now?

At a meeting with the regents, Lady Ochiba explains if they allow Mariko to die there will be a revolt from every high family in Osaka. If they allow her to leave, all of the hostages will demand to go. 

Yaechiyo demands to meet with Blackthorne, but it's a ruse so Ochiba and Mariko can converse. Ochiba recalls how they grew up like sisters, even though their fathers were enemies. After they separated, she couldn't understand how Mariko strived to become a martyr. Through tears, Mariko asks Ochiba, "Aren't you tired of all this?" Ochiba says she'd never surrender to a pointless death and insists she doesn't have the power to stop the dispute.

Blackthorne calls Toranaga a coward for sending Mariko to do his bidding. He says her life is worth more than this, but Mariko says life and death are the same. Blackthorne believes Mariko has already made her point and there's no need for her to die for it. But for Mariko, there is every need. This was the very reason her father kept her alive. Blackthorne pleads Mariko stay alive if not for good sense, if not for God, but for him. She takes hold of his hand, they share a look, then she wordlessly walks away. 

Mariko's Seppuku

Mariko kneels before her son, Kiri and Shizu. She asks Kiyama to come forward and second her, but he's not there. Clearly terrified, she grabs hold of the knife anyway. Blackthorne appears from the shadows and says he'll second her instead. She presses the knife against her chest, only for Ishido to suddenly arrive and hand Mariko her permits to leave. This provokes the other families to ask if they can leave, too. Ishido says no one is hostage there. 

After the near seppuku, Blackthorne helps Mariko to her feet. They briefly hold hands, their intimacy and bond now even stronger. Later, Mariko watches Osaka Castle, which is now much calmer and happier. She goes to her room, where Blackthorne joins her. They kiss and fall back onto the bed.

Intruders

Ishido accepts Yabushige's secret offer of service instead of death. But he has one request: that night Yabushige kills a guard on the watchtower. After doing so, ropes are swung over the wall. Yabushige kills another guard and opens a secret door, allowing intruders into Osaka Castle.

The intruders burst into Mariko's bedroom, where she and Blackthorne fight them off. Mariko tells Blackthorne they are Shinobi, who have come for her. Blackthorne, Mariko, Yabushige, Kiri and Shizu band together and make their way through the Castle. But the intruders surround them and they have to seek refuge in a room.

Through the locked door, they can hear the intruders planning to blow it open. Yabushige says the explosion will kill them all. Blackthorne tries to escape. But Mariko tells him to just accept death. She even stands next to the door, and says she is protesting this shameful attack by Ishido. As Yabushige and Blackthorne scream at her to move away, it explodes off its hinges, flinging Mariko to near certain death.

Shōgun is streaming on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK. Episodes are on TV Tuesdays at 10 pm ET/PT on FX for US viewers. 

Shōgun episode 8, "The Abyss of Life," opens up on Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) traveling to Edo, Nagakado's coffin in front of him. In Edo he will mourn the death of his son for the customary 49 days, while Saeki's (Eita Okuno) army waits outside the city. At that point Toranaga will be delivered to Osaka.

Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) offers his sympathies to Toranaga, who just ignores him. Mariko (Anna Sawai) hands Blackthorne back his diaries. His service with Toranaga now complete, he doesn't need to submit to the council, especially as he no longer stands alongside Toranaga. Blackthorne pleads with Mariko not to go to Osaka, but her allegiance forbids her from doing anything else.

Read on to find out what else happens in Shōgun episode 8.

Dissent in the ranks

Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano), Omi (Hiroto Kanai), Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka) and even Buntaro (Shinnosuke Abe) drink and honor Nagakado. Omi looks to rally the troops, declaring Nagakado at least tried to fight, rather than just surrendering to Ishido (Takehiro Hira) like Toranaga. 

Toranaga doesn't even attend Nagakado's funeral (though he watches from a distance). Hiromatsu tells Yabushige he has fallen ill. Yabushige points out even the Edo generals are wearing their armor in protest at the impending surrender. Yabushige wants them to storm Osaka with their guns and cannons. Hiromatsu tells Yabushige he has to go to Osaka alone, as he's been ordered to return the guns and cannons to Ishido. 

Toranaga gives up?

Toranaga meets with Mariko, Hiromatsu and Father Martin (Tommy Bastow), who insists he tried to help Toranaga, but Lords Ohno (Takeshi Kurokawa) and Kiyama (Hiromoto Ida) wouldn't acquiesce. Toranaga already knew this and says the church cannot be trusted. 

Martin has a plan, though. He says Lady Ochiba (Fumi Nikaido) has manipulated Ishido out of her hatred for Toranaga. But Ishido doesn't love the heir like Toranaga. If Toranaga forms an alliance with Lady Ochiba, the heir will be free to turn against Ishido. Toranaga asks for Hiromatsu's thoughts. He agrees with Martin, as Ochiba is Ishido's only path to power. Mariko adds fear is Ochiba's enemy, not Toranaga. 

Toranaga doesn't seem convinced. Hiromatsu says Toranaga has the face of defeat, which is not like him. But Toranaga is prioritizing a peaceful defeat over a gory victory, insisting there will be no more bloodshed. He plans to sign the pledge tomorrow and then march to Osaka. 

Meanwhile, in Osaka, Ishido tells Lady Ochiba that Toranaga has surrendered, praising her strategy. But she still thinks he's a threat; she'll only be satisfied once he's been killed. Ishido then proposes to Lady Ochiba, insisting marriage would strengthen their stranglehold on the council. 

For Martin's efforts to change Toranaga's fate, he's allowed to build a church in Edo. But only on the condition he returns to Osaka and tells the council what he saw there. He even adds the message that he just wants a peaceful death. Later, Father Martin discovers the church will be built directly next to the courtesan's new brothel, which leaves him furious.

Once Martin leaves his meeting with Toranaga, Hiromatsu tells the other lords Toranaga is definitely going to fight. When asked why, he says Toranaga wouldn't have sent Martin with a message if that wasn't his plan.

An awkward tea

Buntaro makes a stronger effort with Mariko, who continues to be cold toward him. Later they share a solemn and profound afternoon tea, after which Buntaro tells Mariko he believes he'll die in Osaka. Buntaro reflects on their first days together, insisting they were happy. But she can't remember. He asks if she's still under Blackthorne's spell. She doesn't respond. 

Buntaro wants them to die together that night as husband and wife, saying it'll be in protest to Toranaga's surrender. Mariko says she would rather live a thousand years than die with him like this. She leaves, he weeps. 

Reunited at last

Blackthorne finally reunites with his men. He tells Salaman (Dakota Daulby) that they can return to Erasmus, but Salaman isn't interested. He's mad at Blackthorne for continuing on the journey after the captain killed himself, when they should have turned back home. They get into a fight. Blackthorne knocks out Salaman and leaves behind the other men. 

Out of options, Blackthorne turns to Yabushige. He wants to sail under Yabushige's banners, as he believes that Toranaga is going to die soon. Yabushige refuses, as he knows Toranaga is up to something, even if he doesn't know the specifics. 

Blackthorne continues to try and betray Toranaga. He says he knows he doesn't belong in Japan and he has to make his own fate, just like Yabushige has always done. But Yabushige continues to refuse his offer of an alliance.

All a ploy

Toranaga gathers his lords to sign the surrender that Yabushige will deliver to Ishido. One asks if this is a ploy? When Toranaga says it isn't, they refuse to sign. Toranaga says he's protecting the future of Japan over their survival.

Hiromatsu says he'll commit Seppuku immediately if Toranaga doesn't change his mind. Toranaga refuses to yield. Hiromatsu asks Buntaro to be his second. Buntaro insists he'll follow his father to death, but Hiromatsu says Buntaro must believe in Toranaga even when he doesn't believe in himself. Hiromatsu kills himself, with his head landing in front of an emotional Toranaga. 

Afterwards, in a meeting with Mariko, Toranaga asks if Blackthorne went to Yabushige. She says yes, but Yabushige refused his offer. Toranaga insists that, after Hiromatsu's Seppuku, Yabushige will accept. It turns out, Toranaga planned Hiromatsu's suicide to make sure Osaka believed his defeat was real. Toranaga then asks Mariko if she's ready to do her part. She says she is. 

Yabushige does indeed align with Blackthorne, much to the protests of Omi. From a distance, they see a small boat arriving. It's Mariko, who, at the request of Toranaga, has been told to join them to Osaka. Yabushige and Blackthorne are confused. 

The next morning, Toranaga wakes up. He visits his son's ashes, thanks him and Hiromatsu for earning him more time, promising not to waste it.

Watch the latest episodes of Shōgun on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK every Tuesday. Shōgun also airs Tuesday nights on FX.

Shogun episode 7, "A Stick of Time," opens on a muddy battlefield covered in dead bodies. As soldiers make their way through the fog, one shouts, "The war is over! Lord Toranaga has won." 

But this isn't the present. Toranaga stands on the top of the hill as a 12-year-old, and this battle — his first — took place 46 years ago. Toranaga comes face to face with Mizoguchi, the man he has defeated. He commits seppuku, which Toranaga has been ordered to help complete by chopping off his head.

This sets the table for the Shōgun episode 7. Read on to find out what else transpired for Toranaga and others. 

Brothers reunited

Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) anxiously waits to meet his brother Saeki (Eita Okuno), who he has not spoken to for a very long time. When Saeki finally arrives, they joke and Toranaga admits his army was decimated by the earthquake. Saeki asks to meet Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), having heard the rumor that Toranaga has tamed a "barbarian." Saeki agrees to help Toranaga invade Osaka and fight against the council. 

Speaking of Blackthorne, he wants to know about his role in Toranaga's Crimson Sky plan. In particular, will he get his men and ship back? But Toranaga hasn't decided yet and Mariko (Anna Sawai) doesn't want him to ask any further questions. Blackthorne can't help himself, though. Why has he been given so many gifts, but when it comes time to serve, he is ignored? Blackthorne says he is ready to fight, whatever his fate may bring.

Banquet

Toranaga organizes a huge banquet to celebrate his reunion with Saeki. They joke together and tell old stories. But Saeki also wants to talk about the details of their alliance. Toranaga would rather do it in the morning. 

Saeki insists that, as part of their alliance, he wants to become Lord of Izu. Especially as he's already had that offer. Suddenly, the sound of horses becomes much louder and the banquet is interrupted by a soldier telling Toranaga that Saeki's army has blocked off every exit. 

A message is also delivered to Toranaga: "By order of the Council of Regents: we invite Lord Toranaga to submit before us in Osaka, and answer for his treachery. He is to deliver his response to Saeki Nobutatsu, our ambassador and newly appointed regent." Not only has Saeki betrayed his brother and joined Ishido (Takehiro Hira) to become the fifth member of the council, he then hands Nagakado (Yuki Kura) a letter saying he has to commit seppuku for killing Jozen. Toranaga tells his treacherous brother he'll submit his response to the council tomorrow.

Preparing to fight or waiting for death?

Over the next few hours, the entire town is stricken with panic. No one can leave, as Saeki has spies everywhere. Blackthorne tells Mariko that if he can get access to his ship, he can get it ready and they can escape or launch an offensive. But even she doesn't have to explain that no one will retreat. 

Saeki gives Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) the head of General Igarashi, who Yabushige had previously sent to Ishido to negotiate a secret peace deal with the council. All the while Toranaga tries to envision a plan that isn't forthcoming in his mind. 

While Toranaga has so few options that he writes his will, Yabushige lightheartedly tries to teach Blackthorne how to use his swords; even Fuji (Moeka Hoshi) learns how to fight. However, Buntaro (Shinnosuke Abe) interrupts Blackthorne's training, aggressively putting his blade next to Blackthorne's throat.

Increasingly agitated by his interactions with Mariko, Buntaro asks Toranaga if he can take Blackthorne's head. Toranaga asks Buntaro if Mariko is courting Blackthorne's attention. Buntaro says he wants to kill Blackthorne so that he doesn't have to kill Mariko. But Toranaga insists if he kills one, he has to kill the other. When asked by Toranaga, Mariko says her life is for her husband to take. But Buntaro refuses to accuse Mariko and reluctantly apologizes for the accusation. 

After Buntaro leaves, Toranaga tells Mariko she constantly confuses her priorities with Blackthorne. He wants to know if she is fully focused on fighting against her father's enemies or on her relationship with Blackthorne. Mariko says every hour she waits for death. She hands him a sword and requests that he kills her. But Toranaga knocks it out of her hand. 

Family drama

Saeki, backed by his large army, meets Toranaga, to hear his response. Toranaga says he'll bow to his brother then go to Osaka and surrender to the Council and Lord Ishido. Yabushige and Nagakado try to protest, but Toranaga won't hear it. He says Crimson Sky was a mistake. 

A furious Blackthorne stands up defiantly. He bows at Yabushige and Nagakado for at least trying to argue, then looks at Toranaga with contempt. He tells him that he's going to lead all of his men to death, then departs. Saeki will escort Toranaga to Osaka tomorrow. 

That night, Saeki has sex with Kiku (Yuka Kouri) at the tea house. Nagakado suddenly arrives with a sword and tries to kill his uncle. He has the upper-hand, too, after Saeki falls in a small pond. But as Nagakado is about to strike the fateful blow, he slips, smashes head on a rock and seemingly bleeds to death.

Shōgun episode 6, "Ladies of the Willow World," opens up 22 years earlier at Azuchi Castle, where Mariko (Anna Sawai) grew up with the then Taiko’s daughter, Ochiba (Fumi Nikaido).  

The pair can't understand why their fathers are always so angry with each other. When Mariko grows older, she's clearly a skilled warrior. Which is why she's puzzled when her father marries her to Buntaro (Shinnosuke Abe), as his clan makes for a worthless alliance. As Mariko departs, her father knows she has many questions, but reminds her that "her duty is what endures." 

What else happens in Shōgun episode 6, "Ladies of the Willow World"? Take a look below to find out.  

Aftershocks

In the wake of the earthquake, and Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) saving his life for a second time, Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) gifts him a fief and makes him the general of the canon regiment. Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) and the rest of Toranaga's clan are upset at the preferential treatment being given to Blackthorne. 

Toranaga also gives a rallying speech to the village, while Yabushige learns that thousands are dead because of the earthquake. When Lord Omi (Hiroto Kanai) tries to plot against Blackthorne, Yabushige says they have bigger concerns, as they're in a fruitless war they're not ready for. Yabushige decides to write a new will. 

Despite the gifts he's receiving, Blackthorne still wants to leave. Toranaga asks him what he would want to do while he's in Japan? Blackthorne wants his ship and men so he can sail against their shared enemy, the Portuguese. He'd also look to disrupt Toranaga's regent enemies, Kiyama and Ohno. But Toranaga isn't interested in starting a war with a "friendly" nation, even though Blackthorne insists Portugal is using Japan. 

Blackthorne and Mariko are getting obvious

In a separate conversation with Mariko, Toranaga asks about her relationship with Blackthorne. She insists it purely consists of her translating for him, but even Toranaga has noticed the tension between them, while the rest of the village is talking about how much time they spend together. All of this upsets Buntaro, who tells Toranaga  he loses himself around Mariko because she is so ungrateful and icy toward him, but not Blackthorne. Toranaga tells Buntaro to not see Mariko for seven days. 

Toranaga wants Mariko to take Blackthorne to a brothel so he can spend time with a courtesan. He also wants Mariko to join him there, in case he says anything while having sex. 

It is arranged for Blackthorne to see Lady Kiku (Yuki Kouri). She talks him through how she's going to enrich his mind, nurture his spirit and make him escape. But Blackthorne only has eyes for Mariko through this explanation. Even when Kiku leads him to a separate room, where Mariko won't be joining them, he tries to touch her hand. But Mariko doesn't reciprocate. 

The next day, the entire village sees Blackthorne leave the brothel.

Osaka burns

Osaka Castle is on fire and Ishido has taken the rest of the regents hostage in an attempt to force a vote against Toranaga. Even Father Martin (Tommy Barstow) isn't allowed inside. He now thinks they should work with Toranaga, especially as he can see that Lady Ochiba is pulling the strings. 

Ishido proposes that Lord Ito, an actor, becomes the new fifth member of the regents council. But Lord Sugiyama (Toshi Toda) votes against him, insisting that Ishido is dishonoring the Taiko. Ishido tells Ochiba they'll impeach Sugiyama, but she wants him dealt with quickly. So Ishido and his army kill Sugiyama and his clan in a forest, blaming it on bandits.

Lady Ochiba

Through out the episode we're made privy to Lady Ochiba's backstory. After the death of her father, we learn she was picked by the new Taiko's wife to try and father his child. Ochiba says she was repeatedly drugged to make her more fertile, then, out of the hundreds of other women, she was able to conceive because she, as she puts it, "compelled fate to look at her, so she could scratch out its eyes."

We also learn that Ochiba is adamant Ishido gets rid of Toranaga . At first even Ishido can't understand her hatred. That's until she explains that, while Mariko's father was the one who killed him, Toranaga was the one who plotted against him. 

Mariko finally understands

Meanwhile, back in Ajiro, Toranaga meets again with Mariko, and he asks specifically about her childhood. He knows she used to be friends with Ochiba, and wants any information he can about why she hates him so much and her potential weaknesses. But Mariko says their friendship was a long time ago.

Toranaga then tells Mariko her father had a great plan for her. She doesn't believe him, saying her father should have married her off better. Toranaga explains that marrying Buntaro was a part of his plan. That way she could be kept safe and away from the fight so one day she could return to finish it. 

Mariko didn't know this and suddenly becomes overwhelmed, feeling she has failed him. But Toranaga  insists the war isn't over yet. 

Crimson Sky

Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka) escapes Osaka Castle, arriving in Ajiro to warn Toranaga about Ishido taking it over and how he is pressuring his allies to turn on him. Hiromatsu says they should enact their plan known as Crimson Sky, which is a single violent rush on Osaka Castle that will eliminate the council, form a new government and end with Toranaga as the sole regent, known as Shogun. 

But Yabushige feels it is an impossible plan because Ishido has such control of the city. The only option is if Toranaga joins with his half brother, Saeki Nobutatsu. Still, Toranaga doesn't want to become Shogun, claiming he has never sought it, so they'll have to come up with a new plan. 

The death of Sugiyama forces his hand, though. Without any other options, Toranaga says they'll enact Crimson Sky, but he insists he doesn't want any land or honors, he just wants to protect the young Taiko. Once they get the support of his brother, they'll rush Osaka, and destroy their enemies.

Watch the latest episodes of Shōgun on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK every Tuesday. Shōgun also airs Tuesday nights on FX

Elisabeth Moss is one of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation thanks to her roles in Mad Men and The Handmaid's Tale, and now she stars in the FX limited series The Veil, a twist spy thriller from the creator of Peaky Blinders, Steven Knight.

In addition to Moss and Knight, FX has its own long list of impressive credentials. FX has been the home of some of the best shows on TV in recent years, including Shogun, The Bear (though it streams exclusively on Hulu), The Old Man and the American Horror Story franchise.

Here is everything you need to know about The Veil.

How to watch The Veil

All episodes of The Veil are now available to watch on Hulu in the US. A subscription to the streaming service is going to be required to watch the show. 

The Veil premiered on Disney Plus in the UK on May 29.

The Veil cast

Moss plays MI6 agent Imogene Salter in the series, whose mission involves getting close to a subject to reveal a secret that could put thousands of lives at risk. As we mentioned, Moss is an Emmy-winning actress for her work in The Handmaid's Tale and an Emmy nominee for Mad Men. Among her other roles are Top of the Lake, The Invisible Man, Shining Girls and, most recently, Next Goal Wins.

Joining Moss in the cast are Yumna Marwan (Little Birds), Dali Benssalah (No Time to Die) and Josh Charles (We Own This City).

The Veil plot

Here is the official plot of The Veil:

"FX’s The Veil explores the surprising and fraught relationship between two women who play a deadly game of truth and lies on the road from Istanbul to Paris and London. One woman has a secret, the other a mission to reveal it before thousands of lives are lost. In the shadows, mission controllers at the CIA and French DGSE must put differences aside and work together to avert potential disaster."

The Veil episodes

Here are the synopses for The Veil episodes that have been released thus far:

The Veil episode 1, "The Champ"
"Imogen visits a refugee camp in the remote mountains on the Turkish and Syrian border. Amongst the chaos, she seeks out Adilah, who has been separated and detained from the rest of the refugees."

The Veil episode 2, "Crossing the Bridge"
"Imogen and Adilah, continue on their journey to Paris and face a threat in Istanbul. Meanwhile, the pressure mounts on the CIA and DGSE to determine the true identity of the 'Djinn al Raqqa.'"

The Veil episode 3, "The Asset"
"Imogen reunites Adilah with her daughter in Paris as truth and lies become further blurred."

The Veil episode 4, "Declassified"
"Amidst the increased threat on her daughter's life, Adilah reveals a secret to Imogen. Max must deal with the consequences of Emir's arrival in Paris."

The Veil episode 5, "Grandfather's House"
"As the jigsaw puzzle becomes clearer to Imogen, she takes matters into her own hands. Max resorts to drastic measures whilst Emir puts pressure on Adilah."

The Veil episode 6, "The Cottage"
"Imogen smuggles Adilah to see Michael in the hope that answers will finally be given. Max and Malik must work together and follow as her only backup."

The Veil trailer

Watch a trailer for The Veil directly below.

Shōgun episode 5, "Broken to the Fist," opens in the immediate aftermath of Nagakado's (Yuki Kura) killing of Jozen. But as the villagers collect body parts, the ground shakes as Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) and his entire army arrive in Ajiro.  

He's not alone, though. Buntaro (Shinnosuke Abe) somehow escaped the battle in Osaka and rides alongside Toranaga. At the sight of her husband, Mariko (Anna Sawai) looks more heartbroken than happy. 

What else happens in Shōgun episode 5, "Broken to the Fist"? Take a look below to find out.

We need to talk about Nagakado

Toranaga asks Mariko if Nagakado ordered the killing of Jozen, but she doesn't know. Toranaga believes Ishido (Takehiro Hira) will now use it as a pretext for war. When he's alone with his son, Toranaga says he knows Ohno (Takeshi Kurokawa) tricked Nagakado into attacking Jozen. Still, Toranaga strips Nagakado of his cannon regiment. 

In a separate meeting, Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) insists he's bound by fate to Toranaga and offers to discipline Ohno for tricking Nagakado. But Toranaga is pleased by Ohno's actions. Ishido has now been forced to attack Ajiro first, which gives Toranaga an advantage. He gives Ohno Nagakado's cannon regiment, much to Yabushige's fury. 

Three's company

It's revealed Buntaro survived Osaka with the help of a group of Ronin. This leads to complications as Toranaga wants Mariko to continue working as Blackthorne's (Cosmo Jarvis) translator while Buntaro is now going to live in Blackthorne's house. Fuji (Moeka Hoshi) worries Blackthorne's life is in danger. Mariko plays down her concerns, but even Blackthorne asks if he should be preparing for something now that Buntaro is back. 

Mariko translates when Blackthorne and Buntaro come face to face again, keeping it pleasant and not interpreting Buntaro's barbs. Buntaro makes fun of how Blackthorne eats his noodles. Noticing that, Blackthorne starts drinking sake from a bigger bowl. Buntaro does the same. Soon they're engaged in a drinking contest. 

During the dinner, Buntaro forces Mariko to tell Blackthorne her backstory. She is the daughter of late Lord Akechi Jinjai, now known as a treacherous assassin. Her father's lord was Kuroda-sama, the ruler of Japan before the Taiko. Her father killed Kuroda because he was corrupt and murderous. Her family was hunted and her father had to kill all of her brothers, sisters and mother before committing Seppuku. Since Mariko had just married, she wasn't killed. Every year, on the anniversary of her family's death, she asks Buntaro if she can join them, but he orders her to live.

Blackthorne also wants to hear of Buntaro's Osaka escape, but he insists, "heroism is for the dead, stories are for children." Instead, Buntaro wants to show off his shooting skills. He drunkenly fires two arrows right by Mariko's face. Blackthorne openly says Mariko deserves better, which she translates to Buntaro directly. 

That night, Blackthorne wakes to Buntaro hitting Mariko. He tries to intervene, but when he enters her room Buntaro has already left. He follows Buntaro to the streets, ready to duel. But Buntaro lowers his sword, sits on the ground and apologizes for disturbing the peace of his home, blaming the sake. Blackthorne retreats, furious and flummoxed by Buntaro's actions. 

The next morning, Blackthorne races to see Mariko. She blames herself for provoking Buntaro, but Blackthorne insists it's Buntaro's fault and she should be free of him. Mariko says Blackthorne still doesn't understand their way of life. Blackthorne admits he doesn't, confused why she'd rather die to avenge her father and live in anguish to spite her husband than make her own decisions. She says he is the one who is imprisoned, explaining if freedom is all you live for, you'll never be free of yourself. Mariko ends their friendship, saying she'll now only work as his translator.

Blackthorne's pheasant 

Meanwhile, a pheasant causes a huge stink in more ways than one. A gift from Toranaga, Blackthorne is delighted and hangs it to age, telling everyone in his house not to touch it, joking he'll kill them if they do. But after being hung up for days, the smell has now started to permeate across the village. 

When Fuji asks Blackthorne if they can take it down, he's too concerned about Mariko to acquiesce. When he next returns to the village, everyone is in mourning. At the house, Blackthorne notices the pheasant is gone. Uejiro, the house's gardener, took it down and buried it at the orders from Muraji (Yasunari Takeshima), the village leader, because it was disturbing the peace. Because Blackthorne had said anyone who touches it must die, Uejiro was then killed. 

As the leader of the house, Fuji asks to be executed, too. But, disgusted and flummoxed by everyone's actions, Blackthorne refuses and asks to be left alone. 

Earthquake

Blackthorne tells Toranga he wants to leave Japan, feeling he has fulfilled his duty to train the men, and asks for his ship and men back. He adds he's troubled by the rituals of Japan, where life seemingly means nothing. Mariko explains Uejiro was already ill, and he had a much cleaner death. 

Before a decision can be reached, a huge earthquake hits. Toranaga is buried alive. Blackthorne finds and saves his life. Meanwhile, the town below has been ravaged. Blackthorne races back to check on Fuji, then decides to rebuild Uejiro's garden. 

Political movies

Yabushige orders Ohno to find Toranaga's spy. It turns out to be Muraji. When Toranaga says Ohno is searching for him, Muraji offers to hand himself in. But Toranaga refuses, insisting he needs to make sure Ohno finds another spy instead. After his death, Muraji tells Ohno and Yabushige that Uejiro was the spy.

Meanwhile, with the Regent Council unable to impeach Toranaga because they don't have enough votes, they discuss possible replacements but can't agree. Lady Ochiba (Fumi Nikaido), the mother of the heir, returns to Osaka castle. She says she's worried for her son's future and claiming the time for politics is over, so the council will now answer to her.  

Watch the latest episodes of Shōgun on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK every Tuesday. Shōgun also airs Tuesday nights on FX.

Feud: Capote vs the Swans episode 8, the season finale, takes place entirely in 1984, the year Truman Capote died. It opens with Truman (Tom Hollander), three months clean and sober, taking flowers to Babe's grave. He lays down talking to Babe, telling her he might be joining her soon.

Still lost in thought about Babe, Truman goes to Jack’s (Joe Mantello) apartment and begs to be let in. Jack is there with his young boyfriend, Nick (Jack Reinfeldt). Jack doesn't want to let Truman in, but Nick invites him to have dinner. 

Over dinner they discuss Answered Prayers and the nature of forgiveness. Truman is determined to finish Answered Prayers and use it to right the wrongs of his past and get the forgiveness of the remaining Swans. Truman declares the heart wants to forgive, that it's the nature of people to forgive and be forgiven. Nick agrees. Truman tells Jack he doesn't want love, he wants forgiveness for the things he's done. 

Truman wants forgiveness

Truman continues working on Answered Prayers. Smoking and drinking instant coffee, he writes chapters for each Swan as his alter ego P. B. Jones, giving them the stories that reflect who they really are, not just the things they've done. He writes about the fictional closing of La Cote Basque, where the characters based on the Swans were gathered in one place so he could create the ending he wanted with them. 

Kiki, the character based on CZ (Chloë Sevigny), sits down with P.B. Jones, telling him his real crime wasn't betraying her and the others, it was showing them only as two-dimensional caricatures, not people with feelings and complicated lives. 

P.B. takes Kiki on a cross-country driving trip. They drive to Mexico, where Kiki is able to really let her hair down. Wearing a red peasant top and jeans with her hair down, Kiki dances to the jukebox in a Mexican dive bar after selling her Diego Rivera-painted portrait to the bartender for two whiskeys.

Off the wagon

When Truman finishes the chapter rewriting CZ's story he hallucinates his mother (Jessica Lange) in the room with him, critiquing his writing and handing him a drink. Truman drinks it and starts down the path that will ultimately kill him. The hallucination of his mother is brutal to him, picking apart his writing and his motives. He drinks more, then dives into the next chapter.

The next chapter is for Slim (Diane Lane). P.B. follows Lady Ina, the character he based on Slim, on the street. When she sees P.B. she confronts him on the street. Angry, she punches him in the chest, twice. That seems to loosen up her anger, so P.B. follows her home.

She is packing up her expensive furnishings and china as she moves on from yet another failed marriage. She is sad, angry and frustrated. P.B. encourages her to throw the expensive plates against the wall and release her rage. He throws the first plate. She follows. Soon the two of them are lying on the floor amid piles of broken china, laughing. 

P.B. throws her a ball where she gets to be the star and meets the love of her life. 

The muse

Truman, lost in thought while hallucinating, also remembers when he was a child and his mother would lock him in a hotel room telling him to be quiet while she entertained and tried to charm men for money. Truman's hallucination of his mother is both supportive and cruel, the same way she was in life. She continues to feed Truman booze and pills to fuel his writing.

In the next chapter, P.B. Jones finds Lee (Calista Flockhart) at La Cote with her cheating husband. P.B. writes a memoir for Lee in her voice so she could be a celebrated writer. Then he helps her kill her tiresome husband by poisoning him with nicotine. 

After finishing Lee’s chapter Truman wakes up slumped over the typewriter. His mother is back. And she’s angry. She wants Truman to write about her suicide, the death of the Black Swan, but he won't. The hallucination shifts. 

Truman is sitting on a sofa with Ann Woodward (Demi Moore), watching his mother commit suicide after her husband leaves her. Ann talks to Truman throughout the vision. Truman asks her if she ever forgave him, and she says never. She tells Truman the other Swans will never forgive him either if he publishes Answered Prayers. He asks what he can do, and Ann tells him he already knows. He has to say goodbye.

Feud: Capote vs The Swans ending explained

When the vision clears, Truman goes to the lake he was at in the opening of the first episode. He watches the swans. Then he gets a box from his car. Inside is the manuscript for Answered Prayers. He pours gas on it, then hesitates. He sees Ann again, who tells him he must choose the book or his soul. After a few seconds he flicks his lit cigarette into the box and the manuscript bursts into flames. He stands and watches it burn.

Without his life's work and without his Swans, Truman is lost. He goes to California to stay with Joann Carson (Molly Ringwald) and start writing something new. But he slips into a spiral of alcohol and pills again and that's where his death scene from the previous episode repeats. 

After Truman's death, Joann has him cremated and she keeps the ashes with her until her death. In 2016, after her death, her household items, including Truman's ashes, were auctioned off. Kerry O'Shea (Ella Beatty) shows up at the auction and bids on Truman's ashes, but she is outbid. 

The Swans attend the auction as very well-dressed beautiful angels. They share a few memories of Truman, then ascend into white light.

All episodes of Feud: Capote vs the Swans are available to stream on Hulu in the US.

Shōgun episode 4, "The Eightfold Fence," opens up on signs of winter, as snow graces the ground and trees around Ajiro.

The galley's arrival in Ajiro is imminent, and Lord Omi (Hiroto Kanai) helps prepare the village for Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) and Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada). As the ship pulls into Ajiro they can see all of Yabushige's forces waiting for them.

But what actually goes down in Shogun episode 4, "The Eightfold Fence?" Take a read below to find out. 

Toranaga's brief hello 

While still on the galley, Toranaga informs Yabushige he has quit the regent council. A surprised Yabushige assumes Toranga will now commit seppuku, as by leaving the position he has lost all of his allies, vassals and friends. But Toranaga insists he'll only do that when the legal order arrives. 

When they set foot on Ajiro, Toranaga gives a rousing speech to Yabushige's soldiers, telling them, "dark clouds are gathering over Japan" and it needs protecting against treachery to keep the Taiko safe. He then bows at the soldiers, praising their loyalty. But as the forces chant Toranaga's name, he gets back on the galley. Nagakado (Yuki Kara) tells Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and Yabushige that Toranaga is leaving because he has other urgent matters to deal with, which leaves them both peeved.

Blackthorne wants answers

Blackthorne wanders around Ajiro looking for his men he was forced to leave behind. Mariko (Anna Sawai) informs him they've been taken to Edo for safety. Blackthorne still wants to get back on his ship, Erasmus, but Mariko insists that's forbidden, telling him the ship and its arsenal belong to Toranaga and he'll use them as he wants. 

Meanwhile, Mariko has forced Usami Fuji (Moeka Hoshi) to be Blackthorne's consort. After the deaths of her husband and newborn son, who were killed because her husband brought shame on the family in Toranga's meeting with the council, she now wants to become a nun. But Mariko convinces her to serve Blackthorne for six months. 

Blackthorne is surprised to learn he has a beautiful house and staff while staying in Ajiro. This only makes him query the length of his stay. When Maliko says six months, as he has to train the soldiers in the ways of western fighting, he says he just feels like a prisoner again, especially as Toranaga has left. 

But while Blackthorne is initially annoyed that Fuji won't leave him alone — as she only sleeps when he does — he ultimately comes to accept and be grateful for her help. He even apologizes for his initial coldness, giving Fuji a set of guns that Mariko was able to get for him from Erasmus. She then gifts him her dead father's swords in return. 

Blackthorne and Mariko grow closer

Blackthorne and Mariko's own relationship becomes much more intimate in "The Eightfold Fence." The episode's title comes from Mariko explaining to Blackthorne that everyone has an eightfold fence inside themselves, where they can protect their deepest feelings. 

Mariko also begins to read Blackthorne's diaries, becoming more aware of the crimes he committed on Erasmus. When she approaches him about them, Blackthorne insists he did these deeds against their common enemy and the Catholics want him dead because he can offer Japan a modern navy, one that could be built by the men currently in Edo. 

Then, late one night, Mariko stumbles upon Blackthorne taking a bath in a hot spring. She admits to him her service in Ajiro isn't to the church, but to get retribution for a great injustice against her family from years ago. He then describes London to her.

Later that night, while everyone sleeps, a woman sneaks into Blackthorne's room in the dark and seduces him. The next morning, Blackthorne — believing that it was Mariko — tries to talk about it with her. But she explains it was another woman and her and Fuji had come up with the plan together. Whether she's lying and she was really the woman remains to be seen. 

Omi plots

Yabushige is disappointed to learn that Omi still hasn't found the spy who previously told Toranaga about Erasmus. Yabushige is also worried Ishido thinks he's betrayed him and, with Toranaga now out of the council, believes he's on the losing side of the seemingly inevitable war. 

Omi says Yabushige could use the western weapons he has at his disposal as a gift to Ishido, especially because the price on Toranaga's head is now so high. Omi's mistress Kiku (Yuki Koura) later tries to convince him that he should replace Yabushige.

War becomes inevitable

Blackthorne, after initially making a terrible start in his lessons on war, shows Yabushige and Nagakado how to use cannons to expedite a battle. Yabushige and Nagakado have never seen cannons used so accurately, and realize this will give them a huge advantage in any war. Over the next few weeks, he trains the whole army how to use them. 

But when Ishido's trusted general Nebara Jozen (Nobuya Shimamoto) arrives in Ajrio, demanding Yabushige return to Osaka to answer for his actions, the only way he can convince him to stay for the night is the promise of a demonstration of the cannons in the morning. This will help Ishido in any future battle, so Jozen decides to stay.

That night, a still plotting Omi tells Nagakado it's a shame that Ishido will now know about the cannons, which will eradicate Toranaga's tactical advantage in any forthcoming battle. 

The next day, Jozen and his army gather to watch the cannon demonstration. But Nagakado takes it upon himself to put Jozen and his soldiers in the firing line. Much to Yabushige’s fury, Nagakado kills Jozen and all of the troops, a huge provocation of war. 

Watch the latest episodes of Shōgun on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK every Tuesday. Shōgun also airs Tuesday nights on FX.

Feud: Capote vs the Swans episode 7 opens in 1978 with Martha (Veronica Wathome) waking Babe (Naomi Watts). Babe carefully gets dressed, but as she runs her hand through her hair a chunk falls into her hand. She is shocked and dismayed. 

Later, she is sitting in the study with the doctor. Babe asks him bluntly if it's worth it to keep fighting. After some intense questioning, the doctor confirms she has less than six months to live.  

Barb then delivers the news to Bill (Treat Williams), who takes it badly. They argue as Barb lays out some of the bare truths of their marriage. Bill, angry she wants to stop treatment, asks her if being with him was so bad she’d rather kill herself, to which she says yes. Both of them cycle through anger and regret, eventually getting to resignation.  

Last lunch at La Cote

The Swans are lunching once again at La Cote. Lee (Calista Flockhart) is engaged, and the rest of the women are talking about living for the day. Babe asks CZ (Chloë Sevingy) about Truman, with CZ saying she should reach out because he's having a hard time.

Babe tells everyone at the table they should forgive Truman. She points out they've all done terrible things, including to each other, and they always forgave each other, but they won't forgive Truman. 

She wants to have a grand party at their country house, describing a beautiful event with her favorite black cherries in Limoge bowls, perfect flowers, a glittering guest list and gorgeous linen napkins shaped into flowers. The women agree that would be great, and Babe tells them it's what she wants after her funeral. As the women look at her in shock, she tells them she doesn't have a lot of time left. They are disturbed, but Babe tells them she's made her peace. 

Babe wrestles with mortality

Babe arrives at their country house. She walks around the property as far as she can, with a nurse rolling a wheelchair behind her. When she becomes weak, Babe sits down and is pushed around the property. 

Babe narrates her entries in her journal, which started to record her thoughts and insights as she faces her death. She writes about her many mistakes and how long it took her to see the beauty all around her: the flowers and trees, the water; beauty for the sake of beauty instead of beauty for the sake of prestige. She says "we cannot possess the light, but we can touch it."

Babe throws a dinner for the staff at the house and their families, relishing being surrounded by so much love, life and joy. But she starts hallucinating at dinner. The end is near, and she takes to her bed.

Babe hallucinates seeing Truman (Tom Hollander) as she dies. She cycles through some of her favorite memories with him. Fireworks start in the distance and Truman tells her they can go see the fireworks whenever she's ready. 

But she isn't ready. She tells Truman he is part of her and explains her theory that everyone has people in their lives that they are fated to be with in some way. Those people collide with each other and their essences get all mixed up together. They can never truly be separate people after that. Eventually, Babe is ready to go see the fireworks. She slips away with her family gathered at her bedside. 

Farewell to the Swans

CZ shakes Truman out of a stupor. He is devastated at the news of Babe's death and tells CZ he has to get to work finishing her eulogy. CZ explains Bill won't allow him to come to the funeral. Crying, Truman says he must give the eulogy. CZ asks he read her the eulogy he's written so far. She sits, with tears running down her face while Truman delivers a poignant and loving tribute to Babe. 

After the funeral the Swans and all the mourners gather at the country house for the perfect party that Babe planned. When Slim (Diane Lane) says she's going to slip away the ladies try to plan a lunch, but none of them can find a day that they are all free. The era of the ladies lunching at La Cote is over.

Truman's final spiral 

Truman is being interviewed on a talk show. He is incoherent, rambling and blackout drunk. He wakes up in a dingy hospital room. Jack (Joe Mantello) is there, explaining to Truman he's in a detox facility in Minnesota. Jack also says it's the last time he is going to help Truman. 

In a flashforward, Truman is lying in bed in Joann Carson's (Molly Ringwald) guest home in Palm Springs. He's right back to drinking and taking drugs. He jumps into the pool in an alcohol stupor where he sees Babe, dressed as a gorgeous black swan. Joann can barely pull him out. She gets him into bed as Truman's body starts shutting down.

She wants to call 911, but Truman begs her to let him go. Joann goes into the main house and picks up the phone, then sets it down, just waiting. Truman hallucinates Babe by his bedside taking care of him like a mother would. As he dies he hallucinates he is walking on a beautiful beach with Babe. His last words are "beautiful Babe."

New episodes of Feud: Capote the Swans air Wednesdays on FX. They are available to watch on-demand the next day on Hulu.

Shōgun episode 3, "Tomorrow Is Tomorrow," begins with Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) writing out his will, as he believes there's a good chance he's going to die that day. Yabushige heads to Osaka Castle for a meeting with Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka). Yabushige admits he met with Ishido (Takehiro Hira), who offered him Toranaga's seat on the council. But Yabushige doesn't want it. Instead he wants the Suruga Province so he can expand his fiefdom. 

Toranaga has no interest in killing Yabushige. Instead, he wants Yabushige to hide Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and Lady Kiri (Yoriko Dōguchi) in the fishing village of Ajiro. If he does, Toranaga promises to give Yabushige Suruga. 

What else happens in Shōgun episode 3? Read below to find out  

Leaving Osaka Castle

Yabushige prepares his army to leave with Blackthorne and Lady Kiri, but warns them to be prepared for a fight because many people want the "barbarian" dead. Yabushige also rips up his will, insisting he won't die that day. 

Ishido arrives to inspect the carriage of people being taken out of the castle. He insists that, because Lady Kiri is being transported, his troops will help. 

But as soon as he confirms Lady Kiri is onboard, she is secretly replaced by Toranaga, who uses this opportunity to escape his imprisonment. Only Blackthorne and Mariko (Anna Sawai), who is joining the exiting party with her husband Buntaro (Shinnosuke Abe), see the switch. 

If Toranaga is discovered they'll all die. Just as they're about to leave the castle, one final inspection is sprung upon them. Toranaga only remains hidden because Blackthorne causes a scene, insisting it's not proper to leer inside a woman's private quarters. 

Mariko and Blackthorne bond 

While walking through the forest, Blackthorne asks Mariko about Buntaro. The only positive thing she can say about her husband is that he is a great warrior. After revealing she has a child, Mariko asks about Blackthorne's family. He admits that he has a two-year-old. 

Later in the episode, Blackthorne reveals to Mariko he has never actually met his child, having left before she was born. However it was not for a greater cause, but because he wanted his own freedom. 

Forest fight

As they walk through the forest at night, Kiyama's (Hiromoto Ida) army attacks, hoping to kill Blackthorne. He survives, but a fight ensues. When Toranaga's carriage is set on fire, Mariko helps him escape. At the sight of Toranaga, Ishido's men realize they've been betrayed and fight Toranaga's men. 

Mariko and Blackthorne even have to join the battle. Buntaro manages to hold back the other fighters, and tells Toranaga, Mariko, Blackthorne, Yabushige and the rest of the army to head to the harbor so they can sail to Ajiro. 

In a dozen small boats, they sail to a small galley. They watch Buntaro fight off the oncoming army and then sacrifice himself to save Toranaga and his army. 

The Black Ship

On the galley, Blackthorne notices a line of boats blocking their exit from the harbor. He says the galley is too small to break through them. Nearby is The Black Ship — the Portuguese boat that Toranaga refused to let leave because of the Catholics’ exploitation of the Japanese. 

Toranaga boards it and negotiates a deal with Father Martin (Tommy Barstow) and Genoa (Louis Ferreira). Not only will he allow The Black Ship to depart, but he'll allow a church to be built in his home town of Eco, as well as offering thousands of silver coins. 

But Genoa insists that Blackthorne has to stay in Osaka. Toranaga refuses. But then Martin shows him the diaries that prove Blackthorne is a pirate and he changes his mind.

Left at the galley, Blackthorne prepares to watch The Black Ship depart. But then he takes charge of the galley and tells the ship's sailors to get it alongside The Black Ship. It breaks through the tiny boats, but then Rodrigues (Nestor Carbonell), who is piloting The Black Ship, is told to push the galley onto the rocks. 

Rodrigues refuses, as Blackthorne previously saved his life. This allows Blackthorne to meet up once again with Toranaga, Yabushige and Mariko. 

New plan

All on-board the galley, Toranaga tells his son Yoshii Nagakado (Yuki Kira) that he and Yabushige will train his remaining soldiers in Ajiro. Nagakado doesn't think they can trust Yabushige, but Toranaga reminds him they're playing a game with enemies and friends. 

Toranaga — who has also informed Hiromatsu to tell the rest of the council regents that he quits — thanks Blackthorne for his bravery. He shows Blackthorne the evidence he has that he's a pirate. While he should be killed for such acts, Toranaga instead says it'll take a long time to translate this evidence. 

In the meantime, he wants Blackthorne to train Nagakado and Yabushige in the way of western fighting. Even though he knows he's just a sailor, Blackthorne accepts. Toranaga then gives him the new name of Hatamoto, before the pair dive into the sea and race to Ajiro's shore. 

Watch the latest episodes of Shōgun on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK every Tuesday. Shōgun also airs Tuesday nights on FX.

Shōgun quickly caused quite a stir when it premiered on February 27. Set in 1600s Japan, the series focuses on a period of strife in the country, as rival leaders attempt to position themselves for an impending battle and the European world is learning of and attempting to insert its influence over the island nation. The series' massive scale and political intrigue definitely part of the fun to watch, but credit must also go to the Shōgun cast, who have quickly made an impression on viewers.

There are no major stars in Shōgun (though the series is led by a character actor that many may be familiar with) and a lot of characters to keep track of. We're here to help you out on both fronts, detailing below the key characters in the series and giving you some info on the actors who play them.

So let's meet the Shōgun cast.

Hiroyuki Sanada as Toranaga

Yoshii Toranaga is one of the central characters in Shōgun. He is the powerful leader of the Kanto region and hails from a feared lineage. However, as the series starts, he is outnumbered by his enemies and held hostage in Osaka castle, hoping to weaken his position. But Toranaga is a brilliant strategist, perfectly playing then long game.

Hiroyuki Sanada has popped up in a number of major Hollywood productions over the years, including The Last Samurai, Lost, The Wolverine, Westworld, Mortal Kombat, 47 Ronin, Avengers: Endgame, Army of the Dead and, in 2023, John Wick: Chapter 4 and Bullet Train. He is also an accomplished stage and screen actor in his home country of Japan, including won Japan's equivalent of an Oscar for his performance in The Twilight Samurai.

Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne

John Blackthorne is the pilot ("Anjin" in Japanese) of a European ship that washes ashore on Japan in Toranaga's territory, ultimately making him Toranaga's captive. However, Blackthorne has his own mission in Japan and hopes to gain some influence with Toranaga to help achieve this.

Cosmo Jarvis' star has been rising in recent years, but Shōgun represents his biggest and most prominent role to date. Among his past credits are movies Lady Macbeth, Persuasion, It Is in Us All, Calm with Horses and The Evening Hour, as well as roles in TV series like Raised by Wolves and Peaky Blinders season 6.

Anna Sawai as Mariko

Mariko is a Christian convert, deeply faithful to her new religion but also trusted by her lord Toranaga, despite them not being of the same faith. Though she is married to Buntaro, Mariko becomes an ally for Blackthorne as his translator.

This is Sawai's third big TV show in the last few years, having also starred in Apple TV Plus original series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and Pachinko. She has also starred in F9, one of the Fast and Furious franchise entries.

Tadanobu Asano as Yabushige

A lord in Toranaga's Kanto region, while he serves Toranaga, he also is making moves to put himself in a better position, even if that means changing loyalty.

US audiences will best know Tadanobu Asano from his time in the MCU playing Hogun, who appeared in the first three Thor movies. He also had a role in Martin Scorsese's Silence, as well as movies Midway, The Outsider, 47 Ronin and Battleship. He also has a number of Japanese credits to his name, like Last Life in the Universe, Zatoichi and Ichi the Killer.

Hiroto Kanai as Omi

Yabushige's nephew, Omi is also ambitious. As the young lord of Ajiro, he is smart and brimming with potential that garners the attention of those in powerful positions.

Shōgun is the first US role for Hiroto Kanai, though he has a number of credits from Japan to his name, including Kirakira Megame, Randen, Umibe no eigakan-cinema no tamatebako and Sono onna Jilba.

Takehiro Hira as Ishido

Having risen from a peasant to a powerful Busho and member of the Council of Regents, Ishido will stop at nothing to protect this new position. This includes being one of the chief rivals of Toranaga, hoping to neutralize him.

Takehiro Hira's most acclaimed work was in Giri/Haji, which he received a BAFTA nomination for, though he has also starred in Snake Eyes, Lost Girls and Love Hotels, Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai, Ace Attorney, Aku No Kyoten and The Floating Castle. He also stars in the upcoming series The Swarm.

Moeka Hoshi as Fuji

The granddaughter of Hiromatsu, Toranaga's closest friend and advisor, she opens the series in a tragic position, as her husband and son are killed for embarrassing Toranaga. But she maintains her sense of self as a highborn lady.

Moeka Hoshi is a rising star in Japan, making her international debut with Shōgun. Among her credits in Japan are Million Yen Women, 100 Mankai ieba yokatta, Towako Omameda and her Three Ex-Husbands and On the Streets.

Shinnosuke Abe as Buntaro

Buntaro is a strong and fiercely loyal samurai for Toranaga. However, his lone weakness is his jealous possession of Mariko, his wife.

Since appearing in his debut, Lover's Kiss, Shinnosuke Abe has also appeared in titles like Senya Ichiya, Winny, Rurouni Kenshin: The Final, Kingdom and Day and Night.

Tokuma Nishioka as Hiromatsu

Toranaga's close friend and head general, Hiromatsu has seen it all through the years and serves as Toranaga's conscience at times.

Having acted on stage and screen for more than 50 years, Tokuma Nishioka's credits include Tokyo Love Story, Sanhjuro and Sekighara.

Yasunari Takeshima as Muraji

A fisherman and pious Christian in Omi's village Ajiro, he is devoted to Toranaga, serving as a spy for his lord when needed.

Among Yasunari Takeshima's past credits are roles in Silence and The Last Recipe: Memory of Giraffe's Tongue.

Yuki Kura as Yoshii Nagakado

Toranaga's son, Yoshii Nagakdo is bold and brash, with a blinding adoration for his father and a strong desire to prove himself. He can get himself in trouble though as he has a tendency to act before he thinks.

A model turned actor, Yuki Kura debuted in the Japanese TV series Kasoken no Otoko, and has since gone on to star in Spaghetti Code Love, By the Window, Followers, Ochoyan and Suicide Forest Village.

Fumi Nikaido as Ochiba

Lady Ochiba is the mother of the heir to Japan, Yaechiyo. She is cold, calculating and keeps her true intentions to herself as she prioritizes protecting her son over everything else.

Credits for Fumo Nikaido include Yell, River's Edge, Toad's Oil and Himizu, the latter of which she won the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the Venice Film Festival.

Tommy Bastow as Father Martin Alvito

A Portuguese priest, Father Martin is thoughtful and sensitive, as well as being a skilled translator. Even as the Portuguese in Japan attempt to maintain their control over trade with the country, Father Martin is a uniquely empathetic presence.

Viewers would have previously seen Tommy Bastow in Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, The Crossing, The Window and Never Back Down: Revolt.

Yuka Kouri as Kiku

A courtesan in Izu, Kiku is renowned, with only a few select men able to afford her. She has a special relationship with Omi, but is perceptive and ambitious in her own right.

Past credits for Uka Kouri include Tokyo Vice and Invasion.

Yoriko Doguchi as Kiri

Kiri is the consort wife to Toranaga, a steadfast partner, affectionate yet vigilant and fiercely protective of her family.

A storied career in Japan's film industry, Yoriko Doguchi has appeared in the likes of The Excitement of the Do-Re-Mi-Fa Girl, Tampopo, Cure, Mikadoroid, The Room and Silence.

Ako as Daiyoin/Lady Iyo

One of the consorts to the late Taiko, Lady Iyo became a Buddhist nun after his death, now known as Daiyoin. She is an ally to Toranaga, but she harbors dark secrets.

Ako is a veteran of stage and screen, with some of her work in the latter including Snow Falling on Cedars, Prisoners of Time, I Origins, Too Tired to Die, Shadowplay, Daitoryo no Christmas Tree, No Reservations, Twelve, 30 Rock and Mercy.

Shōgun airs new episodes every Tuesday on FX and Hulu in the US and on Disney Plus in the UK.

It's 1978 when Truman (Tom Hollander) meets CZ (Chloë Sevigny) in front of the Galore Hat Shop, both shocked when the owner, who has been supplying the elite class with hats for decades, tells them he's closing shop. No one wears hats anymore. 

Truman reminisces about a time when he and the Swans, tipsy from lunch at La Cote, stumbled into Galore and tried on the most over the top Easter bonnets in the shop. He asks CZ how Babe (Naomi Watts) is doing. CZ says Babe is getting the best care. After shopping, Truman and CZ walk down the street talking about Kate, his new name for his protege Kerry O'Shea (Ella Beatty). Truman is helping her become a model.

Read on to find out what happens in Feud: Capote vs the Swans episode 6, "Hats, Gloves and Effete Homosexuals."

Truman tries to replace Babe

Later, Truman is at a salon with Kate, getting her ready to be photographed by the famous Richard Avedon. Truman insists she have her hair and makeup done in a very old-fashioned style. Before the shoot, he takes Kate to lunch at La Cote. There, they run into Lee (Calista Flockhart) and Slim (Diane Lane). Lee answers when Truman calls out to her but refuses to engage in conversation.

After lunch Truman and Kate go to Avedon's studio. He takes one look at Kate and laughs, criticizing Truman for styling her in such an old look. He sends Kate to go with one of his stylists for a younger look. 

Richard asks Truman sarcastically if he knows what year it is. He also tells Truman to get back to work and finish his book instead of trying to get the Swans to forgive him. 

Exit stage left

Music plays as the scene cuts to Truman and CZ dancing energetically at Studio 54. CZ's had enough before the song is over but Truman tells her the only way to stay young is to keep moving. Truman is desperate to outrun aging.

The next day, the pair have lunch at La Cote. There's an unflattering paparazzi photo of Truman and CZ dancing on the cover of the New York Post. CZ says she looks like "the grandmother from the Addams family," realizing they are too old for clubbing. 

She tells him they had their time and need to know when to exit the social stage. Truman says the secret to immortality may be to refuse to give in to aging. CZ tells him the secret to immortality is for him to finish Answered Prayers.

Ladies lunching

Slim, Lee, Babe and CZ are lunching at La Cote talking about men, marriage and life. Eventually the conversation turns to Truman. He told a story about Gore Vidal on a talk show that prompted Gore to sue. Lee could confirm Truman's story and end Gore's lawsuit against Truman but she wo'’t. She calls both Gore and Truman a slur.

After lunch CZ goes with Babe to Bonwit Teller to find some gloves. Babe's hands are showing the effects of her treatment and she wants to start wearing gloves all the time to hide them. But the sales associate tells them Bonwit Teller no longer has a gloves department because no one wears gloves anymore. CZ and Babe are very aware they are becoming relics of a bygone era.

Truman's midlife crisis 

Truman goes to Palm Springs. He tells Kate he is getting clean and writing, but he's not. He's spiraling into a full-blown midlife crisis. Truman starts an affair with Rick (Vito Schnabel), a much younger handyman who fixes a garbage disposal at Truman's. Truman is so infatuated by Rick's youth and beauty he brings Rick to New York with him. 

Truman takes Rick to dinner at La Cote with Kate, CZ and Jack (Joe Mantello), who is visiting from Switzerland. Even though CZ and the others are polite to Rick it's clear he doesn't belong in the group. He talks about air conditioning repair while the others are talking about literature and art. 

The next day, Truman meets with his lawyer about Gore Vidal's lawsuit, which isn't going away. Jack, CZ and the lawyer tell him to apologize to Gore so he will drop the suit. Truman insists Lee will back up his story. But the lawyer tells him Lee has refused to comment. Truman has no choice but to apologize and get the suit dropped.

Eventually, the affair with Rick starts to crumble, as Rick has nothing in common with Truman and doesn't even really care about him. But Truman's desperate pursuit of youth is blinding him to the truth.

Answered Prayers

After meeting with the lawyer, Truman goes for a walk in Central Park with Jack, Rick and Kate. Jack and Truman have a real talk, telling Truman he needs to face getting older, finish his book and let go of the Swans. Truman asks Jack to stay in New York, but Jack goes back to Switzerland where he's working on his own book.

Truman meets with a plastic surgeon to make him look younger. When he gets back to the apartment, Rick is waiting with his suitcase packed, heading back to Palm Springs. Truman is alone, aging and spiraling downward. He can't avoid writing anymore. He sits down to finish his book with a chapter called "Our Time." He writes about the pain of aging, losing friendship and being alone. Truman and the Swans are facing their own mortality, aging and figuring out what gives life meaning in the end.

New episodes of Feud: Capote the Swans air Wednesdays on FX. They are available to watch on-demand the next day on Hulu.

Shōgun is one of the best reviewed new TV shows of 2024, as it amazingly brings viewers into the world of 1600s feudal Japan when James Clavell's epic story of warring factions and the arrival of European influences on Japan takes place. 

Among the highlights of the series are the gorgeous period architecture of the city of Osaka and the beguiling wilderness of the Japan countryside. That raises the question, where was Shōgun filmed? On location in Japan, or somewhere else? And in either case, how did they build the incredible sets?

Thanks to FX, we have great details on Shōgun's production.

Was Shōgun filmed in Japan?

Chalk this one up to the magic of Hollywood, or in this case Canada, as Shōgun was filmed in Vancouver. Specifically, the show used two expansive exterior backlots, a remote mountainside location and two massive sound stages that housed many of the interior scenes. A virtual set and blue screen were used for some scenes that were too difficult to produce with practical production methods.

But while Shōgun used Canada as its base of operations, it did bring in expert consultants from Japan to work with the Canadian crew in what FX described as "a seamless collaboration between Eastern and Western talents in service of telling a truly authentic Japanese story."

FX says that as much scenery was built that would have been needed for an 80 to 100-day shoot on a movie.

And they constructed it to be as historically accurate as possible, relying on historians, artwork and antique collectors to recreate what castles, rooms, villages and gardens would have looked like in this era of Japan. This could often lead to some big projects, including creating 10,000 roof tiles for buildings, taking a team three months to make them with a special process to have them look as authentic as possible.

The locations and sets of Shōgun are absolutely incredible, so let's give a shout out to the team that helped make it happen: production designer Helen Jarvis, set decorators Lisa and Jonathan Lancaster, supervising art directors Peter Bodnarus and Chris Beach, and location manager Kirk Adamson.

Watch Shōgun on FX and Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.

Shōgun episode 2, "Servants of Two Masters," opens on the Taiko's death bed one year earlier. In a room full of people, Taiko briefly speaks to his son and heir Yaechiyo (Sen Mars), then asks everyone to leave. All except for Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada). After briefly reminiscing, with Taiko joking Toanaga should have married Lady Ochiba, he insists the vultures are already circling Yaechiyo.

He asks Toranaga to be the sole regent until Yaechiyo is of age. Toranaga declines, convinced it would put a target on both of their backs. Taiko agrees, so he forms the council to create a political stalemate. Still, he asks Toranga to protect Yaechiyo, which he agrees to do, and teach him that "the man who stands the greatest height is the loneliest in the land."

What else happened in "Servants of Two Masters?" Take a look below to find out.

Important meetings

Rodrigues (Nestor Carbonell) goes straight to the Catholic priests in Osaka to tell them about Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), showing them his private letters that detail the ship's rampaging in Manilla. Father Dell'Aqua (Paulino Nunes) believes that proving Blackthorne is a pirate should be easy with this evidence. But Father Martin Alvito (Tommy Barstow), who works closely with Toranaga as the Council of Regents' interpreter, isn't so sure. He wants to be certain. 

Martin arrives at Toranaga and Blackthorne's meeting to work as the interpreter. He's surprised to see Mariko (Anna Sawai), a student of his, there, too. Blackthorne is annoyed Martin will be translating for him, as he insists they're enemies and doesn't trust him to be faithful. Martin tells Toranaga exactly what Blackthorne says, though. Blackthorne explains he and Martin are enemies because they're from different religions and their countries, England and Portugal, are at war over the matter. 

Ishido (Takeshiro Hira), Toranaga's main rival, then bursts into the room. He's confused why Toranaga is so interested in Blackthorne when his impeachment is so close? In order to keep Ishido peaceful, Toranaga sends Blackthorne to prison for an undetermined amount of time. 

Toranaga's Blackthorne scheme 

Afterwards, Toranaga, Mariko and her father-in-law Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka) sit down to discuss the meeting. She doesn't trust Blackthorne and Hiromatsu doesn't understand what all this has to do with Toranaga's impeachment. 

But Mariko does. She explains Blackthorne's troubling of the Portuguese catholics means Toranaga can use him to sow division between Ishido and the two Christian lords, Kiyama and Ohno, as they need a unanimous decision to kick Toranaga out of the council. 

Toranaga's plan is already working, too. When Ishido meets with Kiyama (Hiromoto Ida), Ohno (Takeshi Kurokawa) and Sugiyama (Toshi Toda) to discuss Toranaga's fate, they say they'll only vote for him to be impeached after Blackthorne is killed. They've heard stories about Blackthorne murdering Christians, so he must be killed. 

Ishido is only interested in them voting. When they flatly refuse to do so he openly wonders if they're only so passionate on the matter because they make so much money from the church. 

Blackthorne's lucky prison escape 

In prison, Blackthorne meets Father Domingo (Joaquin de Almeida), who helps to fully explain Japan's history and the Council of Regents. He also tells him that Toranaga is set to be impeached and killed. Once that happens, there will be no reason for Blackthorne to remain alive. 

But Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) intervenes. After speaking with Ishido, Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) breaks Blackthorne out of prison so Ishido can use him when they inevitably have to go to war against Kiyama and Ohno. Yabushige then gives Blackthorne back to Toranaga, who can immediately see through his plan. 

Blackthorne tells all

In front of Toranaga, and with just Mariko as his translator, Blackthorne is able to tell all about the Portuguese Catholics' stranglehold on Japan. He draws a map of the world as England sees it, then says that Portugal has a base in Macau where they're converting Japanese to Catholics and are planning to make the country their own. 

The latter in particular displeases Toranaga. Now incensed, he asks why Blackthorne is helping them. He explains they want to vanquish a common enemy. After providing this information, Toranaga gives Blackthorne a room in his palace for the night. 

Toranaga then has a meeting with Martin, who says a Portuguese ship must set sail that night. But after Blackthorne's revelations, Toranaga refuses and tells Martin he knows about the Macau base and wants to learn more about Portugal's plan before making any more deals. Martin goes back and tells Father Dell'Aqua, while Kiyama is also present. 

In the palace, an assassin suddenly starts to kill numerous guards. She makes her way into Toranaga's room, but he kills her. Everyone assumes Ishido was trying to murder Toranaga and that they must go to war. But Toranaga explains he put Blackthorne in his room instead. Blackthorne was the target and he knows exactly who tried to kill him.

New episodes of Shōgun premiere Tuesdays on FX and Hulu in the US; they premiere on Disney Plus in the UK. 

Adapted from James Clavell's beloved 1975 novel Shōgun, the new FX series Shōgun is set in 1600 and tells the story of an English pilot making his way in Japan after being shipwrecked, and the coming together of two very different cultures, as people battle for power and love. 

This marks the second time the 1,152 page epic has been given the adaptation treatment, having been done so back in 1980, when it won Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody awards. But this new version of Shōgun is done on an even larger scale.

What happens in Shōgun episode 1, "Anjin?" Read below to find out.

Blackthorne's arrival 

Shōgun opens showing a desolate ship full of disease and death sailing aimlessly through the sea as we're informed:

"The year is 1600. For decades, Portuguese Catholics have richly profited from trade in Japan. They have kept its whereabouts hidden from their sworn enemies — the European Protestants."

"In Osaka, the reigning Taiko has died, leaving behind an heir too young to rule. Five Warrior Lords are now trapped in a bitter struggle. All of them seek the title that would make their power absolute …," which just so happens to be the title of the show. Go figure, huh?

John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) is an English pilot onboard that ship, Erasmus, which is full of weaponry. He insists to the captain they're close to their destination, Japan. But the captain has heard it all before. They've been off-course for a long time, have already lost four out of their five ships and are down to a handful of men. Believing it hopeless, the captain kills himself. 

Blackthorne was right, though. Erasmus crashes onto Japanese land. Several Samurai find the ship and board it, taking Blackthorne and the other survivors captive. 

"Heir-y issue"

At Osaka Castle, Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) meets with the other four members of the council of regents. They're mad at him because since Taiko's death he's been gaining power against them, doubling his fiefdom and, the latest offense, taking Lady Ochiba, the heir's mother, hostage at his castle. 

Toranaga points out Lady Ochiba is his daughter-in-law and he just wants her to give birth to his grandson in safe surroundings. He also adds he's just trying to keep the peace until Taiko's heir becomes of age. But the council doesn't believe him. They've decided to keep Toranaga hostage as well, until Ochiba is returned. He has seven days to release her, at which point they'll vote on his fate. 

In a private meeting with his trusted aide Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka), Toranaga says he can't go to war yet, because it'll be four armies against one. Instead, he wants Hiromatsu to investigate a ship that he's just learned from a spy has washed ashore. 

Later, we see that Toranaga has a great relationship with the heir and confides to another aide that he's trying to protect him from the council. Though he has no intention of becoming Shōgun to do so, believing the title is a brutal relic from a bygone era. 

Blackthorne meets the locals

Meanwhile, things get off to a sticky start for Blackthorne and the survivors, who get into a tussle with one of the guards. Ultimately, Blackthorne is brought before Kashigi Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) to explain himself. 

A Portuguese catholic priest translates for Blackthorne. But, recognizing he's protestant, doesn't say what Blackthorne does and tells Yabushige he is a pirate. Blackthorne reacts with fury to seeing the priest, as he knows Portugal have told Japan they're the only country and Catholicism the only religion in Europe. Yabushige decides to spare Blackthorne, as there's no evidence he's a pirate. Yabushige tells his men to go and clean up Blackthorne. As he leaves, Blackthorne warns the priest that soon protestants will be all over the continent. 

However, things don't go so well for one of the other prisoners, who's boiled alive by Yabushige, as he studies the last moments of dying men. 

Yabushige's plan 

Yabushige already has a plan for what to do with Erasmus and its weapons. When town leader Kashigi Omi (Hiroto Kanai) asks if they should tell Toranaga about Erasmus, Yabushige responds that since Toranga will likely be killed by the council soon, there's no point. Especially since Toranga's death will lead to war and Erasmus' weapons will put Yabushige in a strong position.

Yabushige's plan is immediately ruined, though, by the arrival of Hiromatsu, who knows about all of the arsenal and riches onboard Erasmus. He's taking it all back to Osaka, including the clean, dressed and well-fed Blackthorne, all with the help of Rodrigues (Nestor Carbonell), a Spaniard sailing for Portugal, who promises to take care of Blackthorne. 

Tricky Travels

The journey to Osaka soon encounters a huge storm. Rodrigues releases Blackthorne from his binds so the experienced pilot can help get them through the rough waters. But Rodrigues, who can't swim, falls overboard. 

Back on dry land, Blackthorne, Yabushige and a group of men go to find Rodrigues. When they do, he's injured on the rocks and they're high up on a cliff. Blackthorne wants to climb down with a rope, but Yabushige won't allow him to do so; not wanting Blackthorne to look heroic in front of him and his men.

Yabushige goes down, falls and almost drowns in a pathetic manner. He is about to kill himself through seppuku, when the men find another rope and throw it down, allowing them to save Rodrigues and Yabushige. 

As they finish their journey to Osaka, a convalescing Rodrigues reveals to Blackthorne he went on board Erasmus, found a book detailing their protestant plan and is going to use it to blackmail him. Blackthorne swears he won't die on this savage land. But Rodrigues laughs at his perception of Japan, telling him to look at the beauty of Osaka and compare it to the dirty European cities he's used to. 

Toranaga and Blackthorne meet

Toranaga meets with Mariko (Anna Sawai), the daughter of one of his friends who was murdered 14 years ago. With Blackthorne's arrival imminent, Toranaga wants Mariko to translate for him. She's confused, as there are many other options, but Toranaga knows she harbors resentment and pain at her father's death and being forced to become Catholic, while also teasing that Blackthorne's arrival could help to turn the tide for both of them. 

Blackthorne arrives, and the episode ends with him sitting opposite Toranaga and Mariko.

Watch Shōgun Tuesdays on FX and streaming on Hulu in the US; they premiere on Disney Plus in the UK.

Samurai drama Shōgun explores what happens when an English sailor named John Blackthorne (Peaky Blinders star Cosmo Jarvis) lands in Japan in 1600, right as the country is on the cusp of civil war. 

Initially captured and imprisoned on the charge of piracy, Blackthorne is granted a reprieve of sorts when Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Westworld's Hiroyuki Sanada) realises that he could prove a useful ally in his struggle against arch rival Ishido Kazunari (Giri/Haji's Takehiro Hira) — and Blackthorne begins to learn the ways of the samurai.

Adapted from James Clavell's 1975 novel, which is itself based on the true story of English navigator William Adams, the 10-part series is a fictionalized version of real historical events, and we caught up with stars Cosmo and Takehiro to find out more...

Shōgun interview with Cosmo Jarvis and Takehiro Hira

• Shōgun premieres on February 27. The first two episodes will be immediately available, with one epsiode then premiering weekly.
• The show is going to have a day-and-date global streaming launch, meaning it'll premiere on Hulu in the US, Star Plus in Latin America and Disney Plus in the UK and all other territories at the same time.
• For US viewers not subscribed to Hulu, the FX cable channel is going to air new episodes once a week.

Taking place over the course of one day, Feud: Capote vs the Swans episode 5 is set the day after Truman’s bombshell piece in Esquire was published in 1975. It opens in a tense Paley household where Babe (Naomi Watts) is seething and Bill (Treat Williams) is yelling. Truman (Tom Hollander) calls. Bill picks up and tells Truman he should kill himself.

On the other end of the phone, Truman is in his bed. He takes several handfuls of different pills that are sitting by his bed and collapses.

After the credits, Truman is lying in the same position, but it's the next morning. The phone rings. It's James Baldwin (Chris Chalk), the famous Black writer and friend of Truman's, who is worried about him. James tells Truman to meet him at La Cote Basque for lunch.

Infidelity and bad parenting

At La Cote Basque, James, who Truman calls Jimmy, is waiting. Truman is mortified and anxious at all the people staring at him when he walks in. But James is there to help Truman face the damage he's caused and find his footing again. He tells Truman he wants to know the real secrets about the Swans, the ones that Truman left out.

Truman says he was trying to go after the men, not the women, but the truth is the women were just as unfaithful as the men. Truman talks about the affairs Babe had, as well as ones by Lee (Calista Flockhart) and Slim (Diane Lane), calling Slim the worst of the unfaithful Swans. While Truman is talking there are short clips of each woman meeting with her various lovers. 

Truman points out that when the men were caught, the women make them pay with jewelry, paintings, all kinds of luxury items. But the men get nothing when the women cheat, which he thinks in many ways makes the women worse. 

James tells Truman that swans are naturally very aggressive with each other and that different types of swans in the wild will try to kill each other. Truman laments his swans are trying to kill him. But that doesn't stop him from being brutally honest about them, bringing up their racism and classism with James.

Truman continues talking and there are montages of the glittering parties he attended with the Swans. He talks about the inherent social pecking order where everyone had a place. Truman also says that he was stung by those parties.

James and Truman leave La Cote Basque to go to an art gallery. While they walk around taking in the work of Kandinsky and other famous artists, they keep talking about the Swans. Some of the art they're looking at is credited as being part of the private collection of Bill Paley. That leads to Truman talking about how rich people are insatiable. They collect everything but enjoy nothing. 

Truman says the Swans have no empathy or compassion, which makes them bad people and bad parents. Truman says all of the Swans are terrible mothers. He talks about their mothering while there is a montage of the Swans being horrible to their children. In one scene Babe tells her young daughter to send all her birthday guests home early while Babe collapses, drunk, crying and fully dressed in the shower.

Defy the foul fowl

James says Truman needs to "defy the foul fowl" and keep writing. Stop begging for their forgiveness and get his drinking under control because it's drowning his talent and insight. But Truman tells James he drinks because he's afraid all the time. Life with the Swans is unbearable, but so is life without them. Truman wants to get a drink, so they go to a bar.

At the bar Truman tells James the Swans would never support him the way he does because they are totally disloyal. He talks about a time when the Swans were at lunch at La Cote Basque and Ann (Demi Moore) was also there. The scene plays out as his voice fades, showing the Swans being deliciously cruel and catty when Ann approaches them at their table.

He also talks about their terror of getting older. Their face lifts, their diets and all the extremes they go trying to appear young. There's a scene of Lee telling Truman he looks weathered and fat and he needs to do something about it. 

Eat the rich

James and Truman end the night at Truman's apartment. James gets serious, telling Truman he's thrown away the 10 years since he wrote In Cold Blood and he needs to get back to work. His life's work and responsibility is to write and tell stories, so he needs to get on with it. He suggests Truman get some sleep, then start writing the next day and not to stop until his book is finished and he's killed the Swans and brought down the ruling class. 

Truman takes in James' words and gets ready for bed. James calls from the airport to tell Truman one last fact about Swans: in the UK, only the Queen can legally eat a swan. 

The scene abruptly cuts to Truman, collapsed on the bed as he was in the scene after the credits. The entire day with James was a hallucination, but one that has given Truman purpose again.

Truman writes for days and doesn't drink. The last scene in the episode is Truman taking a break for a special dinner. He's hired a waiter from his favorite restaurant to kill and cook a swan for him.

New episodes of Feud: Capote the Swans air Wednesdays on FX. They are available to watch on-demand the next day on Hulu.

Feud: Capote vs the Swans episode 4 opens to the strains of Perry Como's "It's Impossible," which plays over a montage of Babe Paley (Naomi Watts) getting her hair done in front of her dressing table and getting dressed. She leaves the house looking like any New York City socialite out for a day of shopping. 

But Babe is going for an MRI. As the song plays on she enters a private treatment room at the hospital and takes off her expensive jewelry and designer clothes and trades them for a hospital gown so she can be scanned.

After the scan she sits with Dr. Bernard Magnin (Ned Van Zandt) to discuss her prognosis. It's not good. She asks how long she has, and the credits begin.

Swans at lunch

A Swans lunch at La Cote Basque sees Slim (Diane Lane) talking to C.Z (Chloë Sevigny). C.Z. tells Slim Truman wants to put on a sequel to his infamous Black and White Ball; he told her himself while they were at La Cote Basque the previous day. 

Even though Truman has a fantasy guest list that includes pop culture stars and political figures, as well as the Swans, C.Z. told him it would never happen. Slim wants to take action immediately to shut it down. Babe comes in and joins her friends.

Slim starts telling Babe about Truman's ball and Babe cuts Slim off saying she's tired of talking about Truman. Babe also says if she's invited to the ball she may go, it's been too long since she danced. Life is short and Babe doesn't want to waste any of the life she has left.

Truman goes to treatment

The scene shifts to Truman's (Tom Hollander). He is cooking while John (Russell Tovey) sits sulking on the couch. Truman talks about who he wants to invite to the ball, but John is disinterested, and drunk. He offers a bottle to Truman, but Truman is trying to stay sober. They have another fight in which John hits Truman, then leaves.

While Truman is dealing with his domestic situation, Slim is lying post-coital in bed in a black slip and gartered hose, talking to Bill Paley (Treat Williams). Yep, she's sleeping with Babe's husband. Slim tells Bill she's going to sue Truman for defamation, but Bill warns her to be careful. 

Later that night Truman, wearing sunglasses to hide his black eye, is drinking at La Cote Basque. Coming out of the bathroom he runs into Slim. She tells him she's suing him, resulting in an exchange of verbal blows that hit hard. Truman tells Slim she lives for the spotlight and all he did was give it to her. Slim retorts that Truman won't be able to get back in Babe's world before she dies. 

When Truman returns to the table, Jack (Joe Mantello) is there. He relays a message from Truman's doctor: his drinking is going to kill him if he doesn't stop. So Jack delivers an ultimatum — Truman must go to treatment and dump John or Jack will leave. Truman agrees. 

Ruffled feathers

Slim calls in favors with gossip columnists at all the major publications, forcing them to write blind items about Truman and his plans to throw another ball. She's hoping the bad press will keep anyone from supporting his attempts to get back into society.

At a fashion show, C.Z. tells Slim to stop her offensive against Truman because it might impact his sobriety. Babe, meanwhile, tells Slim that if Truman invites her to the ball she's going to go, which infuriates Slim.

Later, Lee (Calista Flockhart) and Slim meet at La Cote Basque, but not for a happy chat. Lee joins in telling Slim to stop attacking Truman. Lee points out Truman is a sick and unhappy man who is doing a fine job of destroying himself. Slim says she's only doing it to avenge Babe. But, Lee calls her out for sleeping with Babe's husband. She tells Slim to stop attacking Truman to assuage her guilt, and to stop sleeping with Bill. Slim agrees, reluctantly.

Making peace

When Truman comes home from treatment, Jack has cleaned the apartment, removed all the alcohol and done everything he can to help Truman stay sober. Truman appreciates Jack has stood by him and not left him. Jack tells Truman he's not sure why, but Truman is just the most important person in his life.

In a rare moment of togetherness, Bill and Babe, in her pajamas, talk in her sitting room. Bill puts on the Perry Como "It's Impossible" record and asks Babe to dance with him. Babe tells him it's good practice because he's taking her to Truman's ball, explaining she's too close to the end not to forgive Truman. She also tells Bill to marry Slim after she's gone, indicating she knows about their affair.

Jack comes into the apartment talking about the invitation samples he picked up for Truman. Sadly, he finds Truman drunk and in bed with John. The next day Truman gets a surprise visitor, John's daughter Kerry O'Shea (Ella Beatty). She wants Truman to be her mentor. He agrees to help her.

The next day, Babe is standing in front of a shop window when Truman comes up to her. They chat lightly, but there is a heavy undercurrent of forgiveness that is unsaid. They hug tightly for a long moment. As Babe leaves she turns and blows him a kiss.

Feud: Capote vs the Swans airs new episodes weekly on FX. All episodes are available the next day on Hulu in the US.

Feud: Capote vs the Swans episode 3 is shot in grainy black and white footage as Truman (Hollander) has David Maysles (Yuval David) and Albert Maysles (Pawel Szajda), document his literary and social rise following the success of his book In Cold Blood; particularly his planning of the 1966 Black and White Ball. 

As the episode takes place before the show's titular feud, we get to see Babe Paley (Naomi Watts) and Truman spending time together at an art gallery comparing paintings by Monet and Manet. Babe talks insightfully and intelligently about the difference between the feeling and intention of each work. At lunch, Truman asks Babe why she loves him. Babe says she admires him and praises his loyalty. Truman tells Babe she is the center of his world. 

Read on to find out what happens in Feud: Capote vs the Swans episode 3.

The planning 

Truman has another lunch, this time with all the Swans: C.Z. (Chloé Sevigny), Lee (Calista Flockhart), Slim (Diane Lane) and Babe. Truman tells the Swans he's planning a blow-out Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel for the richest and most elite people in high society. At the party there will be a guest of honor. In one-on-one interviews for the documentary, each of the Swans explains why she should be the guest of honor.

Truman also talks about how his mother came to New York City desperate to be accepted into high society. He doesn't say it, but it's clear he's throwing this ball as an homage to his mother.

Truman and Babe preview place settings and décor at the Plaza for the party. When Truman introduces the manager of the hotel and a designer who is consulting, Babe is visibly uncomfortable as Bill's affair at that time was with the designer. Truman gives her a pep talk, telling her not to let the understudy replace her.

As Babe helps Truman go over what makes a perfect invitation, it's explained that it took Truman three months to come up with 540 names for the guest list, and who was left off the list was just as noteworthy as who was invited.

Answered prayers 

Truman has the Maysles film a large painting of a nude C.Z. done by Diego Rivera. Before she was a swan and the WASP poster child, C.Z. was a Bohemian free spirit. That part of her life is now hidden away except to insiders. Truman was fascinated by the choices the Swans made and the prices they paid for their glamorous luxury lifestyles. He calls the Swans ballerinas because of the pain they have hidden away so that no one sees anything but the glam.

But their lives are not perfect. Truman gets a call from C.Z. to come to the house right away because the I.R.S. is coming to seize their possessions. He races to her side to swoop in and fix things for her, the way he does with all of them. 

Later, Truman is shopping for ball gowns with Slim. They're discussing who should be left off the guest list. Slim gets angry when Truman mentions the woman Slim's husband left her for is on the guest list. 

In some behind the scenes footage of Truman drinking, smoking and talking to the camera in his apartment, Albert Maysles and Truman discuss the Swans. Albert tells Truman he feels sorry for them because they're all so sad even though they live lives of total luxury. He mentions a quote from Teresa of Avila that "more tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones." Truman, captivated by the phrase, later will call his book about the Swans "Answered Prayers," referencing that quote.

The big night

The night of the ball, all the glittering elite of New York City are in the Plaza ballroom. The champagne is flowing, the music is playing, people are dancing, drinking and gossiping. Truman reveals his guest of honor and it's none of the Swans. 

The Maysleys ask each Swan how she feels about not being the guest of each honor; each one denies she ever wanted or expected to be the guest of honor. There are several montages of glittering guests in gorgeous gowns, jewels and masks.

Truman is told of some party crashers, which turn out to be Ann Woodward (Demi Moore) and her son Jimmy (Hudson Oz). Ann tries to talk Truman into letting them stay, asking if he would kick his mother out of a party like this. Truman tells her his mother was indeed kicked out of parties like this, which is why she was miserable and cruel, and killed herself. After Truman kicks them out, the party resumes. 

As the party wanes, Truman becomes an angry drunk. He dances alone, but with his arms outstretched and moving as if he has a partner. 

Days later, Truman is walking with David Mayles and tells him he's decided not to make the documentary. He wants to write the story instead.

The very end of the episode flashes back to Truman alone at the ball, but it's in color. A stunning woman in a black gown with a swan-like black feathery capelet comes up to him. It's his mother (Jessica Lange). In his hallucination she tells Truman she's proud of him. He tells her that she is the real guest of honor. He dances with her, but everyone else sees him dancing alone.

Feud: Capote vs the Swans airs new episodes weekly on FX. All episodes are available the next day on Hulu in the US.

Despite the title, it's not ice water going into Babe Paley's (Naomi Watts) veins when Feud: Capote vs the Swans episode 2 opens, it's a chemotherapy cocktail. Babe, dressed in designer clothes with a full face of makeup, sits uncomfortably in a private hospital treatment room. Bill (Treat Williams) is with her, unusually attentive.

As Babe is forced to come to terms with her own mortality, the Swans — Babe, C.Z. (Cholë Sevigny) and Slim (Diane Lane) — attend Ann Woodward's funeral in their elegant couture black mourning outfits. Behind them is Lee Radziwill (Calista Flockhart). Ann's son Jimmy (Hudson Oz) gives a eulogy that honors his mother but takes a shot at the social elite who snubbed her, and at Truman Capote. 

The Swans are ruffled

At La Cote Basque after the funeral, Babe is drinking, eating and gossiping with C.Z., Slim and Lee. Slim asks if anyone has heard from Truman. Lee says she's had a card from him and that he's in Hollywood acting.

Babe, rethinking her life as she fights cancer, doesn't want to talk about Truman, as it's still an open wound for her. Slim and Lee are cold and passionate about making Truman pay for his sins. 

Slim has a plan. She tells the others if they go out socially, they need to make a show of themselves going out with other gay men as companions, to show Truman he's been replaced. Also they should return Truman's notes and flowers and ignore his calls. 

C.Z. thinks the plan is cruel, while Babe abruptly tells the group sometimes she is so tired of all of them that she could die. She gets up and leaves.

Truman makes a choice

While Truman (Tom Hollander) is working in Hollywood, he drunk dials Babe, but she won't take the call. Truman pops a pill, takes a shot from a flask and goes over his lines, but he soon starts hallucinating. He sees Lee, Slim, C.Z. and Babe all dressed in red. Sweating profusely, he can't remember his lines. This prompts Truman to make a big decision when he returns to New York, gathering all the liquor in the apartment and pouring it down the toilet.

The plan goes awry

Babe is resting in bed looking through boxes of expensive jewels when Slim brings her some flowers. Babe tells Slim to take whatever jewels she wants. At first Slim doesn't want anything, but as Babe insists she eventually accepts a ruby and gold bracelet that Bill gave Babe after his affair with Happy Rockefeller. Slim also notices a music box, which Babe tells her Truman gave her when he was working on Breakfast at Tiffany's. Slim tells Babe not to mention Truman, but Babe misses him.

While Slim is trying to make sure Babe doesn't let Truman back in, C.Z. is having lunch with him at La Cote Basque. C.Z. tells Truman what he did was a betrayal, but Truman defends himself by saying as a writer he documents what he sees. He adds he's trying to get himself together and asks C.Z. if she will speak to Babe on his behalf. C.Z. tells him she will try. 

He also asks if he can spend Thanksgiving with C.Z. and her family and she agrees. As they are talking Lee comes in, cutting them dead with a look then walking away.

Later that day Slim drops in on C.Z. at her farm. She calls C.Z. out for seeing Truman and gives her Babe's ruby bracelet, telling her Babe wanted her to have it. Slim then insists that C.Z. cannot have Truman at Thanksgiving. C.Z. caves, calling Truman and telling him he can't come to Thanksgiving because she's sick. But Truman knows she's lying.

Thanksgiving

After John O'Shea (Russell Tovey) drops his son Chris (Daniel Adaro) off at home, John goes to Truman's apartment. Truman tells him they're not going to Florida, but rather California the next day. John, however, plans to spend Thanksgiving with his family. Truman asks why John's family would want to spend Thanksgiving with him after he left them, which causes John to punch Truman in the face. Yet Truman and John still fly to California together to have Thanksgiving with Joanne Carson (Molly Ringwald), though the tension is thick between them. 

Montages show the Swans having a glamorous and extravagant Thanksgiving dinner together while Truman and John get drunk (his previous intentions to stop drinking falling by the wayside) in California at Joanne's party.

Truman, drunk and high, has another hallucination. This time it's his mother (Jessica Lange). Elegantly dressed, with a soft Southern accent she chides Truman for getting fat. She tells him that he avenged her but he's already almost dead and he should join her. Truman tells her he's not ready to die and snaps back to reality.

Also drunk and high, John causes a scene at the dinner table. He and Truman fight, and John hits Truman in front of everyone.

Jack Dunphy (Joe Mantello) calls Babe after Thanksgiving and tells her about John beating Truman in California, then when they got back to New York John put him in a hospital. But Babe hasn't forgiven Truman and she won’t talk to him or see him. What they had is gone.

Feud: Capote vs the Swans airs new episodes weekly on FX. All episodes are available the next day on Hulu in the US.