{"id":480851,"date":"2025-12-30T20:57:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T20:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/480851\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T20:57:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T20:57:15","slug":"our-25-most-popular-film-and-tv-stories-of-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/480851\/","title":{"rendered":"Our 25 most popular film and TV stories of 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter<\/a> for everyone who is mindlessly scrolling on their phones before the futile New Year\u2019s resolution to curb the habit begins.<\/p>\n

In our annual year-end edition, we expand our usual \u201cICYMI\u201d feature, highlighting 2025\u2019s most-read stories about film and television. It\u2019s a hearty mix of celebrity profiles, insightful criticism and deep dives into the most talked-about pop culture that defined the year. <\/p>\n

And we couldn\u2019t do it without the support of our subscribers. We know there\u2019s an endless stream of TikToks, Reels, articles and, ahem, other newsletters competing for your attention in any given minute \u2014 not to mention, TV and movies! \u2014 so we\u2019re incredibly thankful for the time you choose to give this newsletter each week. We hope to continue guiding you through all the exciting film and television that greets us in 2026. <\/p>\n

Until then, happy reading and happy watching! See you in the new year! <\/p>\n

Take care,<\/p>\n

Yvonne Villarreal<\/b><\/p>\n

(The writer who tries to pull this whole thing together each week, with the help of my tag-team partner Maira Garcia<\/b>.)<\/p>\n

P.S.: Shout out to my amazing colleagues who never make me grovel for contributions, even with their demanding work loads. And to the copy editors who remain the true heroes of this place. <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Diane Morgan as Philomena Cunk in \u201cCunk on Life.\u201d <\/p>\n

(Netflix \/ BBC \/ Broke & Bones)<\/p>\n

How far will Philomena Cunk go to get a laugh? \u2018If he breaks my nose, it\u2019ll heal\u2019<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> Diane Morgan, the actor who plays know-nothing TV pundit Philomena Cunk, explains how series like \u2018Cunk on Life\u2019 come together. (Jan. 2)<\/p>\n

Billy Bob Thornton unpacks \u2018Landman\u2019 finale, details his hopes for Season 2<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The actor, who stars as the fixer for a Texas oil company in the hit Taylor Sheridan drama, breaks down the season finale and discusses the prospects for Season 2. (Jan. 12)<\/p>\n

Laura Dern\u2019s letter to David Lynch: You wove L.A. into our dreams<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The Oscar-winning actor reflects on a lifetime of work with the filmmaker, with whom she collaborated on \u2018Blue Velvet,\u2019 \u2018Wild at Heart\u2019 and \u2018Inland Empire.\u2019 (Jan. 22)<\/p>\n

In deathbed audio, Paul Reubens recalled pain of being falsely labeled a pedophile<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The recording is featured in HBO Documentary Films\u2019 \u2018Pee-wee as Himself,\u2019 which premiered Thursday at the Sundance Film Festival. (Jan. 23)<\/p>\n

Sundance is moving to one of 3 cities. Here\u2019s what we know about their bids<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> Boulder, Cincinnati and a combined Salt Lake City and Park City are competing to become the new home of the Sundance Film Festival. (Jan. 24)<\/p>\n

How Karla Sof\u00eda Gasc\u00f3n turned a historic Oscars first into a historic Oscars nightmare<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> With a series of resurfaced tweets, the lead actress nominee for \u2018Emilia P\u00e9rez\u2019 has caused an awards season uproar \u2014 and plenty of culture war confusion. (Feb. 4)<\/p>\n

\" <\/p>\n

(Stephanie Jones \/ Los Angeles Times; Getty \/ JB Lacroix)<\/p>\n

Justin Baldoni\u2019s tumultuous road to the center of a Hollywood scandal<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The actor-director built a career blending his Bahai values and storytelling. Now allegations involving Blake Lively and \u2018It Ends With Us\u2019 threaten his image. (March 5)<\/p>\n

\u2018Severance\u2019 stars explain Season 2\u2019s harrowing finale and the \u2018love hexagon\u2019<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> Actors Adam Scott, Britt Lower and Dichen Lachman, director Ben Stiller and series creator Dan Erickson discuss \u201cCold Harbor,\u201d the mind-blowing Season 2 finale. (March 21)<\/p>\n

What happened on the shocking \u2018White Lotus\u2019 Season 3 finale<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> Who died? Did Gaitok shoot? What happened to the lorazepam? As Mike White\u2019s HBO anthology wraps up it\u2019s third season, we\u2019re here to explain it all. (April 7)<\/p>\n

Two new mysteries show the tariff-proof resilience of Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> \u201cSherlock and Daughter,\u201d a paternal twist on the Holmes legend and a new adaptation of Agatha Christie\u2019s \u201cTowards Zero\u201d debut on the CW and BritBox, respectively. (April 16)<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Natasha Lyonne portrays Charlie Cale in Peacock\u2019s \u201cPoker Face.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Christina House \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Natasha Lyonne remains unconventional as a sleuth in \u2018Poker Face\u2019 and in her career<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The actor is back as Charlie Cale in \u2018Poker Face,\u2019 Peacock\u2019s murder mystery series, and for Season 2, Lyonne is adding director to her list of duties on the show. (May 8)<\/p>\n

\u2018Good Night, and Good Luck\u2019 CNN live broadcast brings George Clooney\u2019s play to the masses<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The actor\u2019s Broadway play, based on his 2005 film, allowed viewers at home to see the actor\u2019s much-hyped turn as Edward R. Murrow through CNN\u2019s live television event. (June 7)<\/p>\n

\u2018And Just Like That…\u2019 seems determined to insult women over 50. And under 50<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The reboot of HBO\u2019s groundbreaking series \u2018Sex and the City\u2019 has failed to mature the women at the center of the show, or their relationships, much to this viewer\u2019s dismay. (July 3)<\/p>\n

Up, up and \u2026 eh? A rebooted \u2018Superman\u2019 gives the Man of Steel a mind of marshmallow<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> Director James Gunn launches his DC Extended Universe with a high-energy Superman played by David Corenswet, joined by co-stars Nicholas Hoult and Rachel Brosnahan. (July 8)<\/p>\n

Stephen Colbert\u2019s \u2018Late Show\u2019 is canceled, but he won\u2019t go quietly into that goodnight<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> CBS announced that \u2018The Late Show With Stephen Colbert\u2019 would end in 2026. (July 18)<\/p>\n

How \u2018The Fantastic Four\u2019 post-credits scene brings us one step closer to \u2018Doomsday\u2019<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> Yes, \u2018The Fantastic Four: First Steps\u2019 includes two post-credits scenes. Here\u2019s how that big reveal sets up what\u2019s coming in Phase 6 of the MCU. (July 24) <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Wizard of Oz,\u201d as presented in the Las Vegas venue Sphere.<\/p>\n

(Rich Fury \/ Sphere Entertainment)<\/p>\n

\u2018Wizard of Oz\u2019 at Las Vegas\u2019 Sphere feels more like a ride than a movie (with Disneyland-level pricing)<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The cherished 1939 fantasy has been expanded by generative AI to fit the giant parameters of the Las Vegas immersive venue. Has too much creative license been taken? (Sept. 3)<\/p>\n

After 15 years of \u2018Downton Abbey,\u2019 Hugh Bonneville and Michelle Dockery can\u2019t quite say goodbye<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The actors reflect on their father-daughter roles in \u2018Downton Abbey,\u2019 the end of an era and honoring Maggie Smith\u2019s legacy in \u2018The Grand Finale.\u2019 (Sept. 5)<\/p>\n

How an O.C. teen joined Kanye West\u2019s inner circle and filmed him unfiltered for six years<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> Director Nico Ballesteros followed Ye at close range, capturing the artist\u2019s rawest highs and lowest lows in the new documentary \u201cIn Whose Name?\u201d (Sept. 10)<\/p>\n

Shutdown of Corp. for Public Broadcasting, recipient of Governors Award, elicits boos at Emmys<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The Corp. for Public Broadcasting, which last month announced it would be shutting down after federal funding cuts, received the 2025 Governors Award at an earlier ceremony. (Sept. 14)<\/p>\n

Jenny Han on \u2018The Summer I Turned Pretty\u2019 series finale and why Belly had to go to Paris<\/b><\/a>: The author, producer and showrunner knows fans are restless about how her hit Prime Video series might end, but she says she \u201cloves surprising people.\u201d (Sept. 15)<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A look at the scene outside the El Capitan Entertainment Centre, where the late-night show \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!\u201d is staged, in the wake of the show getting pulled from ABC.<\/p>\n

(Jae C. Hong \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

ABC\u2019s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s show has echoes and contrasts of Roseanne Barr firing<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The news that ABC would be pulling \u2018Jimmy Kimmel Live!\u2019 indefinitely was reminiscent of the cancellation of Roseanne Barr\u2019s eponymous sitcom, which had been rebooted in 2018, but had significant differences. (Sept. 18)<\/p>\n

What Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers said about Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s suspension<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The four late-night hosts weighed in on ABC\u2019s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s show indefinitely in their monologues and in other segments. (Sept. 18)<\/p>\n

Jimmy Kimmel returns to ABC with emotional monologue defending free speech: \u2018We have to stand up\u2019<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The host returned Tuesday to his late-night show on ABC, where he addressed his comments on Charlie Kirk\u2019s death and thanked those who have supported him in the past week. (Sept. 23)<\/p>\n

\u2018South Park\u2019 quietly ended Season 27, jumping into Season 28 with new episode roasting Peter Thiel<\/b><\/a>: <\/b>The adult animated comedy series returns Wednesday to Comedy Central with a new episode that also marks a new season. (Oct. 15)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who is mindlessly scrolling on their phones before the futile…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":480852,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[18046,10038,1582,276,217861,2961,2252,224,5337,13020,217859,122481,12819,217860,7544,5950,6166,217862,17823,2452],"class_list":{"0":"post-480851","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-actor","9":"tag-ariana-madix","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-islander","13":"tag-la","14":"tag-life","15":"tag-los-angeles","16":"tag-losangeles","17":"tag-love-island-usa","18":"tag-mr-polaroid","19":"tag-new-film","20":"tag-peacock","21":"tag-polaroid-camera","22":"tag-relationship","23":"tag-season","24":"tag-series","25":"tag-taskmaster","26":"tag-thing","27":"tag-week"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115810523371906376","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/480852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}