This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
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Since it premiered in 2019, HBO’s gritty teen drama “Euphoria” has angered both sides of the aisle for being either exploitative and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/29/euphoria-season-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-feminist</a> or debauched and hedonistic. The show “appears to be overtly, intentionally, marketing extremely graphic adult content — sex, violence, profanity and drug use — to teens and preteens,” the Parents Television Council <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2629891/if-euphoria-is-meant-to-caution-teens-why-is-it-so-juvenile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> years ago. The anti-drug campaign DARE later <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/zendaya-responds-dres-claim-euphoria-glamorizes-drug-use-rcna15374" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weighed in</a> with a similar message.
In one episode alone, “Euphoria” infamously featured nearly 30 penises. I’ve <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2629891/if-euphoria-is-meant-to-caution-teens-why-is-it-so-juvenile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> the <a href="https://spectator.com/article/is-euphoria-too-bleak-to-be-good/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a> for its gratuitous content over the years. But after inundating its viewers with bloodied faces and dick pics and heroin needles, the show’s third and final season takes the only unexpected turn left: It’s all about the Bible.
This season, everybody is talking about the Old Testament. Nate, the jock with violent anger issues-turned real estate developer, quotes it in a courtroom: “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” Pimp and drug kingpin Alamo references the good book, saying he wants a Norman Rockwell, barefoot-and-pregnant-wife kind of lifestyle. “It’s biblical,” he says. Even our drug-addicted heroine, Rue, has a religious awakening while staring at a Joshua tree engulfed in flames like the burning bush.
There’s no doubt about it: An ancient religious text is driving the plot. But driving it where, exactly?
(Proceed with caution; spoilers abound).
Season 3 picks up five years after its predecessor, meaning the high school students are all in their early twenties. Indebted to her dealer, Rue is now a drug mule funneling balloons of fentanyl across the southern border inside her own body. One leaking balloon could kill her, and we watch as she checks, lubes up, gags on, and gulps down whole balloons to pay off her debts. Don’t do drugs, kids.
Meanwhile, she’s still meeting with her sponsor, Ali. She may be working as a drug mule, but she herself is getting clean. And thanks to his encouragement, she decides to get religious.
On her way back from a run in Mexico, Rue stays with a Christian homesteading family in Texas, and she can’t stop thinking about how happy they seemed.
“Religious people are happier,” Ali agrees. “That’s a fact.” (<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/01/31/are-religious-people-happier-healthier-our-new-global-study-explores-this-question/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">It is</a>)
Rue raises the objection that she’s attracted to women; Ali, hoping to keep her curious about religion, says, “You could spend all day picking apart these books …. You either have faith, or you don’t have faith. Otherwise, you can argue about this sh*t forever.”
So Rue decides, then and there, to believe. Whether it works out for her is up to interpretation.
The show’s finale, which aired on Sunday, may have left viewers with more questions than answers. And some are infuriated with what they see as the show’s right-wing, MAGA turn.
“euphoria finale was good for the most part but i’m kind of floored by how wildly republican that last scene was,” one person <a href="https://x.com/legotrillermoth/status/2061300412242616590" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.
“simply have to laugh at one of EUPHORIA&#8217;s big closing beats being an abandonment and rejection of Islam,” said <a href="https://x.com/roxana_hadadi/status/2061328497340293337" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another</a>.
“So did Euphoria just end on the point that Christianity, specifically the fundamentalist conservative kind, is the answer lol,” another <a href="https://x.com/jenny2x4/status/2061680427551920516" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wondered</a>.
Even before the finale, this season was overflowing with religious and conservative themes.
Nate ultimately dies from a rattlesnake bite, but more fundamentally, his death is caused by bureaucracy. He gets on the wrong side of some Armenian mobsters when he can’t pay back their loans after his construction project stalls. The reason? An endangered white fritillary flower was found on the site.
All he can do is hope the environmental impact study comes swiftly. He tries to propose working around the flowers, but Nate’s fate is sealed in a Los Angeles County courtroom with two words: “Motion denied.”
This season also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/onlyfans-creators-melt-down-after-euphoria-shows-what-it-really-looks-like" target="_blank" rel="noopener">angered</a> OnlyFans models who thought it made them look degenerate. One creator on the website <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@tmz/video/7629147910449433869" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> that scenes of Nate’s fiancée, Cassie, dressed up as a sexy dog are simply reflective of Hollywood drama — and beneath the dignity of a real OnlyFans star.
But they weren’t the only ones upset. Commentator Megyn Kelly latched onto a clip in which Cassie, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sydney-sweeney-trolls-critics-with-racy-euphoria-finale-photos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">played by Sydney Sweeney</a>, dresses up as a sexy baby, calling it “sick.” But the characters in the show find it sick too, which is why Cassie stops creating that kind of “content” — at least temporarily.
It’s hard to watch this season and not take away that bureaucracy is actively evil, OnlyFans is depraved, and the Bible is worth reading. After cracking open Rue’s copy, one character gushes, “It’s kind of incredible actually, like you think it’d be boring, but there’s a lot of violence and sex.” Cassie stares in disbelief. “So there’s a new Bible?”
On top of all this, the show’s final moments are a searing indictment of everyone involved in the fentanyl crisis. After Alamo discovers that Rue has been working with the Drug Enforcement Administration, he gives her Percocet laced with fentanyl. She dies, as was heavily foreshadowed in the penultimate episode, before she has the chance to reunite with her family and friends and make a new life for herself. When Ali finds her lifeless body on his couch, Rue’s name becomes just the latest entry in the leather-bound book where he remembers all the young people he has tried, and failed, to help get clean.
“I used to believe that the world would be a better place if people could empathize with addiction,” he tells a support group. But empathy can also extend to a dealer selling drugs to feed his children. “Maybe the real disease,” Ali suggests, “is that people no longer know the difference between right and wrong. I don’t care what your struggles may be. You poison kids for money, you’re evil. It’s plain and simple.”
Show creator Sam Levinson reportedly originally had a different ending planned. But after the death of Angus Cloud, who played the lovable drug dealer Fez in the first two seasons, Levinson changed his mind. He, a former drug addict himself, helped get Cloud to rehab <a href="https://ew.com/tv/euphoria-sam-levinson-staged-intervention-rehab-for-angus-cloud-before-death/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">twice</a> before his overdose in 2023 at the age of 25. “Once he passed away, I had to reconceive of the script,” Levinson told the New York Times, “and I thought, you can’t tell a story about addiction today without the very real consequences. Most people don’t get a second chance.”
But that doesn’t mean Rue doesn’t find redemption; in her final moments, she imagines embracing her father, her mother, and Fez. Her death may be sudden and anticlimactic, which is why it’s riling up some fans, but it’s not unlike what happens to thousands of others who die of fentanyl every year.
“Fentanyl can just take you out in an instant,” Levinson said. “It wasn’t like when I was growing up; you could literally take pills off the street and you might have a bad trip or something, but you’d be fine. This is something that hits close to home for a lot of people in this country. So it felt like the responsible thing to do.”
Though Ali admits that Rue’s death has shaken his faith and he doesn’t know what to believe, what follows is an immensely entertaining cowboy Western-style shoot-out between Ali and Alamo, who gets what he deserves. It is Ali, not Rue, who visits the El Paso homestead on Jerusalem Road — wearing a Zion National Park hat. The show ends with a single word — &#8220;Amen&#8221; — and a shot of an American flag billowing in the prairie breeze.
You can read the ending as a stirring call to faith or as a nihilistic shrug; Rue never made it back, and Cassie is doubling down on her OnlyFans career. But as Cassie’s sister Lexi notes, the Bible is kind of the story of a lot of people dying while the living choose to keep moving forward. Levinson has also rejected the latter <a href="https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/god-of-euphoria-sam-levinson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interpretation</a>, telling Tablet, “There’s plenty of nihilism in the world. I see ‘Euphoria’ largely as a rejection of it.”
After seven years, &#8220;Euphoria&#8221; is finally done flummoxing its fans and haters. We may continue to debate the finale for years to come, but it&#8217;s clear that the show isn&#8217;t glamorizing a lifestyle of limitless sex and drugs. And despite its many tragedies, it ends with a moment of hope.
“You know what I would find surprising?&#8221; the character Maddy says. &#8220;A little grace in this world.”
And surprise us, &#8220;Euphoria&#8221; has.

zendaya_5

Hollywood’s Most Sinful Show Ends With A Moral

Upstream

The creator of the popular HBO drama series “Entourage” says he supports Spencer Pratt for mayor of Los Angeles because it makes logical sense.
Doug Ellin said he was radicalized after having his Beverly Hills home burglarized by masked intruders, as he shared on Instagram last week. The 58-year-old screenwriter and director mentioned that five years ago he didn&#8217;t even lock his door, but now says he has 15 cameras, two German Shepherds, and guns. He said “two animals” invaded his house. 
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&#8220;I know they were animals because they invaded my house. I know I don&#8217;t care what their excuses are, like a lot of you f*cking care. I know invaders of homes should get 20 years,” Ellin said in the video, which was shared across multiple social media platforms. 
He continued, “Everyone in my neighborhood has got the same problem: they&#8217;re f*cking all putting cameras and high-end security guards because we&#8217;re all getting broken into. It&#8217;s not made up, it&#8217;s not false, and this city has collapsed in the last five years. There is no f*cking denying it unless you have an agenda, and I don&#8217;t know what that is.”
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The “Entourage” creator went on to shoot down some of the criticisms that have been voiced against Pratt, a former reality star with no political experience, running for mayor.
&#8220;But, you say, &#8216;Oh, Spencer Pratt has no experience!&#8217; &#8230; What experience did Karen Bass have? &#8230;We want to fix this place because we don&#8217;t want to be forced out. I&#8217;m one of the people who made this city look great! I did it for years. I glorified it. I meet people all the time that moved here because of the show that I f*cking created, and they hate it here now. HATE!&#8221;
Ellin’s video is suspected to be a response to a recently published Los Angeles Times article titled, “L.A. is safer than it&#8217;s been in decades, but crime is an issue dominating the mayor&#8217;s race.&#8221; He addressed the Instagram rant to “LA Times gaslighters.” 
Pratt also shared the video last week to social media. The former “Hills” star is polling second behind Bass ahead of the June 2 primary. While Pratt’s odds of winning have increased dramatically in recent months, he still faces an uphill battle in the Democrat stronghold. The last time a Republican won a mayoral race in Los Angeles was in 1997.

Doug Ellin

‘This City Has Collapsed’: ‘Entourage’ Creator Endorses Spencer Pratt For Mayor

Crime

Entertainment

Los Angeles

Los Angeles mayor

Spencer Pratt

Television

Sydney Sweeney posted a snarky reply to her critics on Instagram on Sunday. 
“It’s called … acting,” the 28-year-old actress <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DZAgyfuES3r/?img_index=20">wrote</a> in the caption alongside a carousel of behind-the-scenes snapshots from the HBO drama series “Euphoria.” The most recent season was just announced to be the end of the show. It has also been the most controversial.
The season 3 finale, “In God We Trust,” was actually the series finale, series creator and director Sam Levinson confirmed on the podcast “Popcast.” Levinson had hinted at it before the season 3 premiere, saying he writes “every season like it’s the last.” 
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He also didn’t commit to doing a fourth season, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/arts/television/sam-levinson-euphoria-season-3.html">telling</a> The New York Times in April, “I don’t know. As of right now, all I want to do is hang out with my wife and kids and read some Elmore Leonard and watch ‘Mrs. Miniver’ again.” 
The official “Euphoria” description says it’s about “a group of high school students as they navigate drugs, sex, identity, trauma, social media, love and friendship.” The story skips forward in time for the third season as the characters “wrestle with the virtue of faith, the possibility of redemption and the problem of evil.”
One major controversy for season 3 has been the storyline involving Sweeney’s character, Cassie, creating an OnlyFans to help fund her upcoming wedding. She acts out strange fetishes, including dressing as a dog on a leash and a baby in a diaper, plus sends one fan her underwear. These antics drew the ire of sex workers, who say it makes them all look bad.
“In the climate we’re in, that they dressed her up as a baby to make pornographic OnlyFans content was beyond troubling and again serves to perpetuate stereotypes that sex workers have no moral compass and that they will do anything for money,” former “Boy Meets World” actress Maitland Ward told Variety last month. “And there’s always this untrue stigma that somehow sex work is synonymous with sex trafficking and abuse. And they just said, let’s make a joke of it. That is so funny. I’m not laughing.”
Levinson told The Hollywood Reporter back in April that the story arc was never meant to be flattering, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/onlyfans-creators-rage-against-sydney-sweeney-over-sex-work-stigma?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=OnlyFans+Creators+Rage+Against+Sydney+Sweeney+Over+Sex+Work+%E2%80%98Stigma%E2%80%99">reported</a>.
“[Cassie] has got her dog house and her little dog ears and the nose, and that has its own humor, but what makes the scene is the fact that her housekeeper is the one filming it,” he said at the time. “What we wanted to always find is the other layer of absurdity that we’re able to tie into it so that we’re not too inside of her fantasy or illusion — the gag is to jump out, to break the wall.”

Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Sweeney Trolls Critics With Racy ‘Euphoria’ Finale Photos

Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher ripped into Democrats he said were too chicken to appear on his program, telling guest will.i.am that many in the party avoid any show unless they know beforehand they&#8217;ll be met with admiration rather than scrutiny.
The Black-Eyed Peas frontman asked Maher who, of all the people he hadn&#8217;t been able to sit down with, he&#8217;d most like to interview — and Maher explained that he&#8217;d found it far more difficult to book Democrats for his show lately.
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💥NEW: <a href="https://t.co/vbvHjsGjXV">https://t.co/vbvHjsGjXV</a>: “Who haven’t you interviewed that you want to interview?”
Bill Maher: “Ironically, mostly Democrats — because they’re such p*ssies they won’t come on the show … Democrats are p*ssies about going anywhere that they’re not already pre-adored.” <a href="https://t.co/IDcyRN3obT">pic.twitter.com/IDcyRN3obT</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/2056323059775045648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Maher began with a story about a guest from earlier that evening — a Republican congresswoman — and said that if he&#8217;d only read what was said about her in the media, he would have believed that she was stupid or &#8220;a hot head.&#8221;
&#8220;She&#8217;s not any of those things,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We don&#8217;t agree on many issues, but you know what? I always say it, everybody&#8217;s a monster till you talk to them.&#8221;
The rapper interjected then, asking, &#8220;Who haven&#8217;t you interviewed that you want to interview?&#8221;
&#8220;Mostly — ironically, mostly Democrats — because they’re such p*ssies they won’t come on the show. Like the Clintons. After — I mean, you know — Kamala. I voted for you,&#8221; Maher replied.
&#8220;Really? You haven&#8217;t interviewed them yet?&#8221; will.i.am said, clearly taken aback by the revelation.
&#8220;I would love to,&#8221; Maher said. &#8220;They — you know — Democrats are p*ssies about like going anywhere that they’re not already pre-adored. Not all of them, but some of them — Kamala Harris, I mean, I always say to my woke friends, &#8216;We voted for the same person, you&#8217;re just why she lost, okay? You&#8217;re a little too precious.'&#8221;

Bill Maher

‘They’re Such P*ssies’: Bill Maher Says He Can’t Find Democrats To Come On His Show Anymore

'They're Such P*ssies': Bill Maher Says He Can't Find Democrats To Come On His Show Anymore

comedian

Democrats

Politics

OnlyFans creators are big mad at “Euphoria” for making sex work look seedy and gross. 
Several prominent “content creators,” including former “Boy Meets World” actress Maitland Ward and popular OnlyFans personality Sydney Leathers have publicly slammed Sydney Sweeney for her character Cassie’s storyline on the HBO series. 
In this season, Cassie creates an OnlyFans to help fund her upcoming wedding. She acts out strange fetishes, including dressing as a dog on a leash and a baby in a diaper, plus sends one fan her underwear. These antics have the real OnlyFans creators seeing red.
“There’s just a lot that’s ridiculous and cartoonish about it,” Leathers <a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/sydney-sweeney-euphoria-onlyfans-hbo-sex-worker-nude-1236741946/">told</a> Variety in an interview published Sunday. “There’s so much that they have her doing that is not even allowed on OnlyFans, and that alone is infuriating: the age-play stuff where she’s dressed as a baby in a diaper, for example. Credit card processors have very strict rules that you have to abide by, and the rules are getting stricter all the time.”
Ward also expressed her frustration over OnlyFans creators being portrayed in a negative way. 
“In the climate we’re in, that they dressed her up as a baby to make pornographic OnlyFans content was beyond troubling and again serves to perpetuate stereotypes that sex workers have no moral compass and that they will do anything for money,” she told the outlet. “And there’s always this untrue stigma that somehow sex work is synonymous with sex trafficking and abuse. And they just said, let’s make a joke of it. That is so funny. I’m not laughing.”
Showrunner Sam Levinson <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/euphoria-season-3-premiere-feature-sam-levinson-interview-1236561251/">told</a> The Hollywood Reporter back in April that the story arc was never meant to be flattering. 
“[Cassie] has got her dog house and her little dog ears and the nose, and that has its own humor, but what makes the scene is the fact that her housekeeper is the one filming it,” he said at the time. “What we wanted to always find is the other layer of absurdity that we’re able to tie into it so that we’re not too inside of her fantasy or illusion — the gag is to jump out, to break the wall.”
“Some of these scenes we only lit with these ring lights that she would use. When you’re inside, it’s a beautiful, glowing front light, but then you jump out of it and it’s just a pool of light and everything surrounding it is dark. It’s just gnarly and jarring,” Levinson continued. “We wanted to capture what she’s trying to show the audience and be inside of it, but then also pull back wider and see how depressing it is.”
In the latest episode, which aired on Sunday, Sweeney’s character weighs in on politics and appears to lean Right. During a fictional press tour, Cassie tells an online talk show host, &#8220;If a man today were to say that he wants a girlfriend who can cook or clean, he might as well be screaming the N-word.&#8221;
Someone off camera replies, &#8220;You sound like a Democrat,&#8221; which makes Cassie laugh and say, “I’m not retarded.”
At another point, Cassie says, &#8220;I just feel like American men have been treated like second-class citizens … In the past, men used to be hunters, gatherers, and protectors. Now, they’re being forced to walk around on their tippy toes. It’s not natural.&#8221; 
Her manager, Maddy, offers her take on the situation. “You know what’s funny?” she asks Cassie. “The angrier these idiots get, the more money you make.”
Many commenters pointed out how Cassie’s storyline mimics what people really think about Sweeney’s personal politics, which she refuses to confirm. They believe she’s secretly conservative, especially following the viral <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sydney-sweeney-says-trumps-support-was-surreal-during-viral-jeans-ad-controversy">American Eagle jeans ad controversy</a>.

OnlyFans Creators Rage Against Sydney Sweeney Over Sex Work ‘Stigma’

OnlyFans

Sex Workers

“Saturday Night Live” mocked HBO’s upcoming “Harry Potter” television series over the weekend for race-swapping the villain, Severus Snape.
Paapa Essiedu, a black British actor, is set to play the role, a character described in J.K. Rowling&#8217;s books as having pale, yellow skin. 
During the &#8220;Weekend Update&#8221; segment on Saturday&#8217;s show, “SNL” cast member Kam Patterson portrayed a black version of Snape and joked about how the character might be perceived. 
“Good evening, Mr. Jost — nah, I’m playing. I don’t talk like that, bro. It’s called code-switching. Codio switchio!” Patterson said after being introduced by host Colin Jost.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Weekend Update: Professor Snape Addresses New Spin on Harry Potter Role - SNL" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JNaf-skJpzo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Jost asked how things were going at Hogwarts, inspiring Patterson to reply, “Not great. We got this new kid. His name is Harry Potter, and he’s racist as hell. Harry Potter — or, the Proud Boy Who Lived — spent the whole year telling everybody that the school’s only black teacher was secretly evil.”
Jost interjected, “I think he’s just worried because he knows someone’s trying to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone.” 
“So somebody stole something, and the number one suspect is Black Snape? They didn’t even look at the white guy in the turban. So offensive. He’s got a wizard on the back of his head,” Patterson shot back.
“I’m really sorry that he just jumped to conclusions like that,” Jost said. 
Snape replied, “All good. It happens all the time. I showed up at Hogwarts, and on the first day, they looked at me and said, ‘You’re the professor of the Dark Arts.’ I never even studied that! I majored in African Muggle Studies.”
“The whole wizarding world is racist,” Patterson went on in the bit. “There’s one other black guy, Kingsley Shacklebolt, a name I’m guessing they got out of the Wu-Tang name generator … why they got to put ‘shackle’ in his name? That’s crazy, man. Shackle? Shackle!”
The skit went on, with a reference to Rowling being “problematic.”
Essiedu claimed that haters have been out in force since his casting for “Harry Potter” was announced. The British star <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/paapa-essiedu-harry-potter-snape-interview-3hqkzzmlk">told</a> The Times last month that he’s been told, “Quit or I’ll murder you.”
“It really matters,” he says. “The reality is that if I look at Instagram I will see somebody saying, ‘I’m going to come to your house and kill you.’ …nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job. Many people put their lives on the line in their work. I’m playing a wizard in Harry Potter. And I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t affect me emotionally.”
“But the abuse fuels me,” he went on. “And makes me more passionate about making this character my own, because I think of how I felt as a kid. I would imagine myself at Hogwarts on broomsticks, and the idea that a kid like me can see themselves represented in that world? That’s motivation to not be intimidated by someone saying they’d rather I died instead of doing work I’m going to be really proud of.”

Paapa Essideu

SNL Wrecks New ‘Harry Potter’ Series For Racially Profiling Fan-Favorite

Harry Potter

Racism

Saturday Night Live

HBO Max will commemorate the second anniversary of the Hamas October 7 terrorist attack on Israel by airing the scripted series, “One Day in October.”
The limited series is based on real accounts from the horrific attack in 2023, which resulted in the massacre of more than 1,200 Israelis and hundreds of others being taken hostage. It first premiered on Israeli network Yes Drama on the first anniversary of the coordinated raid.
The project is said to include “seven emotionally gripping and artistically interwoven narratives of love, courage, sacrifice, and survival. From families torn apart to moments of hope emerging in the face of unspeakable tragedy to incredible bravery against the odds, each episode reveals the human cost and resilience born out of chaos. The series portrays the victims’ and survivors’ experiences of that day and is brought to life by a distinguished cast and acclaimed creative team,” per <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/hbo-hamas-israel-one-day-in-october-7-series-1236372113/">The Hollywood Reporter</a>.
FOX Entertainment Studios President Fernando Szew said of the series, “The tragic events on October 7th had a profound impact on all of us. From the very beginning, we approached this series with the utmost care, sensitivity, and urgency to ensure that the stories were told with authenticity and respect, and paying homage to the victims and the heroic survivors.” 
Szew added that the creators “have truly created compelling storytelling that we are proud to showcase.”
“For me, film and television have always been more than entertainment, they are a way to bear witness. These are stories of ordinary people facing extraordinary moments,” Daniel Finkelman, founder of the production company Sparks Go, said. “In a time when truth is fragile, the most powerful thing we can do is to appeal to humanity itself. My hope is that these stories will open hearts and spark meaningful conversation.”
Last year, Finkelman discussed what compelled him to make the series. 
“After Oct. 7, I realized that when you know what you are willing to die for, you know what you are ready to live for,” he <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/article-822942">said</a>, per The Jerusalem Post. “I realized what we are fighting for.”
“We’re being shown real footage on the news of people being abducted and no one gives a f***,” the producer added. “So we thought, let’s tell the narrative the way people like to be entertained.”
The cast includes actors Swell Ariel Or, Noa Kedar, Naomi Levov, Hisham Sulliman, Wael Hamdun, and Yuval Semo.

HBO Max Announces Series Dramatizing Hamas’s Oct. 7 Terror Attack On Israel

Hamas

Israel

October 7

World

The internet does not have high hopes for Larry David’s newly announced project, a sketch comedy show about American history produced by the Obamas.
Variety <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/larry-david-american-history-sketch-comedy-series-hbo-1236451946/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that David will co-write the new HBO program with Jeff Schaffer, with whom he worked on the long-running comedy show “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” David will star in and co-write the six-part series, the outlet noted.
Barack and Michelle Obama are set to executive produce the project through their Higher Ground Productions company.
The show’s description says, “President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion…But then Larry David called.”
Former President Obama commented on the pairing, saying, “I’ve sat across the table from some of the world’s most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems. Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.”
Social media mainly had negative reactions to the news of David and the Obamas teaming up.
“It sounds like it’s gonna be one big lecture. I hope I’m wrong,” one account <a href="https://x.com/EricBalchunas/status/1943381813772325127">predicted</a>.
“Played out. Preaching to the choir. We don&#8217;t need more lectures from Hollywood,” another <a href="https://x.com/AwardsDaily/status/1943367269498917054">wrote</a>.
“This is going to be so awful,” a third commenter on X <a href="https://x.com/imjaredz/status/1943396360692097354">predicted</a>.
“Get ready for the most unfunny experience of your life,” another <a href="https://x.com/EliseMcCue/status/1943494127145955393">replied</a>.
“Trash propaganda I’m sure,” said another, while someone else just wrote, “Yikes.” 
David has been vocal about political issues and recently had a meltdown over Bill Maher having dinner with President Donald Trump. He was so incensed that the comedian penned an op-ed for The New York Times, repeating the tired trope that Trump was literally Hitler. 
CNN Republican Scott Jennings blasted David for publishing the op-ed, saying it was just another example of Democrats attacking anyone who tried to open the lines of communication between people with differing opinions.
“This is the modern Left,” Jennings <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnn-republican-torches-larry-davids-dinner-with-hitler-column-attacking-bill-maher">said</a>. “It’s an attempt always to intimidate people into not ever doing it again. It’s to silence yourselves, or we’ll do it for you. That’s the purpose of this op-ed, so that the next comedian, or the next person on the American left chooses not to speak to Donald Trump.&#8221;

Larry David

‘Yikes’: Larry David Teams Up With The Obamas For New American History Comedy Series

Barack Obama

Comedy

Michelle Obama

The three main characters for the HBO television adaptation of “Harry Potter” have been announced, and comments were shut off on social media, presumably to protect the young actors.
Per <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/harry-potter-hbo-series-casts-harry-ron-hermione-1236410755/">Variety</a>, Dominic McLaughlin was cast in the lead role of Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout will play Ron Weasley. The outlet noted that more than 30,000 actors auditioned for the three parts.
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“After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione and Ron. The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It’s been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there,” showrunner Francesca Gardiner and executive producer and director Mark Mylod said in a joint statement.
The actors are relatively unknown in the industry, but if their trajectory is anything like the original stars from the “Harry Potter” film series, these roles could turn them into household names. Daniel Radcliffe, who played the original Harry, along with Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who played Ron and Hermione respectively, went on to have successful post-&#8220;Potter&#8221; careers.
McLaughlin is credited with appearing in “Grow,” an upcoming comedy. Stanton starred as Matilda in “Matilda: The Musical” for one year on the London theater circuit. Stout, meanwhile, has not had a major role yet.
Other confirmed stars for the highly anticipated TV series include John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. Luke Thallon will also take on the recurring role of Quirinus Quirrell, while Paul Whitehouse is set to play the recurring role of Argus Filch, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hbo-confirms-harry-potter-tv-series-casting-for-dumbledore-snape-and-hagrid">reported</a>.
According to the show’s logline, the series will be “a faithful adaptation of the beloved ‘Harry Potter’ book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling.”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
“The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters ‘Harry Potter’ fans have loved for over twenty-five years,” it says. “Each season will bring ‘Harry Potter’ and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and cherished films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”
HBO execs previously voiced support for “Harry Potter” author Rowling and defended their decision to keep her on as executive producer despite the backlash she’s received from leftists. The billionaire author has been labeled a “TERF” (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) for rejecting radical gender theory.
“J.K. is an executive producer, and her insights will be helpful,” Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, previously said. “We are in the Harry Potter business.”
“J.K. is a very online conversation … It’s very nuanced and complicated and not something we’re going to get into,” he added. “Our priority is what’s onscreen. The Harry Potter story is incredibly affirmative and positive about love and acceptance, and that’s our priority, what’s on the screen.”
Filming for the TV series is slated for later this summer.

Harry Potter cast

‘Harry Potter’ TV Series Casts Three Main Characters

'Harry Potter' TV Series Casts Three Main Characters

U.S.

Two years after a major rebrand, the streaming service “Max” will revert back to being called “HBO Max,” reflecting what many customers were still calling it informally.
This announcement comes less than two months after Max debuted a logo tweak with a black and white design similar to the classic HBO logo with that same color scheme, per <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/max-changes-name-hbo-max-1236397399/">Variety</a>.
Parent company Warner Bros. Discovery announced the name change in a press release, the outlet noted, saying they are “returning the HBO brand into HBO Max will further drive the service forward and amplify the uniqueness that subscribers can expect from the offering. It is also a testament to WBD’s willingness to keep boldly iterating its strategy and approach — leaning heavily on consumer data and insights — to best position itself for success.”
“The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming,” WBD president and CEO David Zaslav told ad execs during a presentation on Wednesday. “Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead.”
The outlet noted that the Max/HBO branding was originally changed in an effort to reflect the large variety of content, which was meant to make the service comparable to Netflix. Another speaker assured the crowd that the diversity of options would remain even though the name is changing back.
“We will continue to focus on what makes us unique — not everything for everyone in a household, but something distinct and great for adults and families. It’s really not subjective, not even controversial — our programming just hits different,” said JB Perrette, president and CEO of streaming.
The Max social media account changed its X bio to say, “These rebrands are trying to murder me.” 
The person in charge of social media also posted multiple memes about the switch, including the classic image of multiple identical Superman characters encountering one another.
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V2 approved by legal. <a href="https://t.co/uUhH3RU4T6">pic.twitter.com/uUhH3RU4T6</a>
&mdash; Max (@StreamOnMax) <a href="https://twitter.com/StreamOnMax/status/1922665329332748347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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There was also a papal conclave joke showing an image of a chimney spewing white smoke.
“BREAKING: White smoke was seen coming from the Warner Bros. water tower. A new brand has been chosen,” the caption said. 
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BREAKING: White smoke was seen coming from the Warner Bros. water tower. A new brand has been chosen. <a href="https://t.co/DOC8LIWR4x">pic.twitter.com/DOC8LIWR4x</a>
&mdash; Max (@StreamOnMax) <a href="https://twitter.com/StreamOnMax/status/1922662280367333410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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One user summed up what most everyone was saying, posting a comment that <a href="https://x.com/Anna_Niezgodzka/status/1922713229534363973">said</a>, “Seriously, just make up your mind. We still call it HBO no matter what.”

HBO Max

‘Max’ Streaming Service Adds ‘HBO’ Back To Its Name 2 Years After Rebranding

'Max' Streaming Service Adds 'HBO' Back To Its Name 2 Years After Rebranding

The popular HBO drama “The Last of Us” has been getting a lot of negative attention since Sunday night’s episode, in which one of the main female characters announced she was going to be a “dad.”
In the fourth episode of the second season, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) learns that her love interest Dina (Isabella Merced), who is portrayed as bisexual, is three months pregnant. After Dina reveals the news, Bella responds,  “So we’re having a baby… I mean, we and also I guess Jesse — it was Jesse, right?”
“So we’re all having a baby,” Ellie continued. “Holy sh**. I’m gonna be a dad.”
At another point in the episode, the two characters arrive in Seattle and ponder remnants of gay pride amongst the post-apocalyptic background, including pride flags and a giant rainbow mural. 
The reviews for this season, which saw the death of main character Joel (Pedro Pascal), have been mixed, and not just because of woke moments. Some have accused viewers of “review bombing” the show on various websites, but many critics are just underwhelmed by the pacing, character development, and straying from the storyline of the video game upon which the series is based.
&#8220;It&#8217;s the usual bait and switch. Season 1 was fantastic. Season 2 was all over within the first 10 mins. Woke bs from the start with Pascal going to therapy, females being more male than any of the men and the push for refugee rights. When are they going to stop pushing political agendas and write decent stories again?&#8221; one person <a href="https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-last-of-us/season-2/">observed</a> on Metacritic. 
&#8220;The first season was good, and I can&#8217;t say the same for this season,” a second person agreed. “This is all teen drama with revenge plot, it&#8217;s so boring that I can&#8217;t turn off my brain to try to watch another episode. Killing off a beloved character for cheap reason is the final nail. This could be a good series but they clearly ruined it with bad writing. And don&#8217;t get me start on the agenda they try so hard to push but fail miserably.&#8221;
While fans say it made sense to make Ellie gay in the show to match the game, they say the showrunners&#8217; approach to the character is off the mark.
“I think people are missing that the way the show is going about this is not normal. At least in the game? Ellie being a lesbian wasn’t shoved in your face. It was natural. Like, ‘oh, she’s a lesbian? Okay. She’s still cool.’ But the show has Ellie being played by someone who looks nothing like her, even though they had options of actresses who did,” one X user <a href="https://x.com/BumpyBeatz/status/1920269455189516556">wrote</a>. 
“They consistently show Ellie being a judo bad*** when that’s not what she is? She’s a survivor. Even in the game? The melee animations show that she struggles and fights desperately. And now this? ‘Ima be a dad.’ This ain’t it. Just more ammo to be used against woke culture.”
Ramsey, 21, identifies as &#8220;non-binary&#8221; in real life, but has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/non-binary-actress-bella-ramsey-said-its-important-to-keep-gendered-awards-categories">said</a> she supports gendered categories for awards shows despite feeling it’s “not quite” right for her to be nominated for Best Actress.

Bella Ramsey

HBO’s ‘The Last Of Us’ Trashed For Going Woke, Female Character Says She’s ‘Gonna Be A Dad’

HBO's 'The Last Of Us' Trashed For Going Woke, Female Character Says She's 'Going To Be A Dad'

Wokeness

“Saturday Night Live” issued an apology for a skit the show did making fun of “The White Lotus” actress Aimee Lou Wood’s teeth, which have been a constant topic of conversation since season 3 of the popular HBO series debuted.
“SNL” addressed the issue during a skit called “The White Potus,” which was mostly making fun of their constant target, President Donald Trump. During one scene, actress Sarah Sherman was meant to portray Wood’s character on the show. Host Jon Hamm, playing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., asks what would happen to people’s teeth if he took all the fluoride out of the drinking water. 
The camera then pans to cast member Sherman, who is wearing exaggerated prosthetic gapped teeth, and replies, “Fluoride? What’s that?”
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Wood later addressed the skit, saying in Instagram Stories that she found the skit “mean and unfunny.” 
In another post, the actress claimed she’s “not thin-skinned” and doesn’t mind jokes at her expense if they’re “clever and in good spirits.” But she said the joke about fluoride wasn’t that. 
“I have big gap teeth, not bad teeth,” the British star added.
Wood also insisted that most of that “SNL&#8221; skit was “punching up” because it involved mocking President Trump, his political advisers, and his family. She complained that only the joke about her was an example of being “punched down,” as reported by <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aimee-lou-wood-white-lotus-snl-skit-teeth-experts_l_67fd35bfe4b09c14eff55690">HuffPost</a>.
On Tuesday, Wood posted a <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/16/entertainment/snl-hasnt-formally-apologized-to-aimee-lou-wood-for-white-lotus-parody/">photo of flowers</a> that Sherman allegedly sent her as a means of apologizing.
Reviews on the skit were mixed. Walton Goggins, who played Chelsea’s love interest, Rick, on “The White Lotus, reacted to the skit with a now-deleted comment that just said, “SMASHING.” Rumors have been circulating that he and Wood were not getting along.
Wood also mentioned in Stories that “SNL” has sent “apologies&#8221; to her, but a new <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/04/15/snl-aimee-lou-wood-no-formal-apology-white-lotus-parody-teeth/">report</a> from TMZ refutes that claim. Their insider said no formal apology has been made, even if individuals from the cast may have apologized.
The flowers and apologies come after photos of Wood crying in public while walking down the street with “House of the Dragon” actor Ralph Davis were posted Monday.
Wood later claimed she wasn’t &#8220;crying&#8221; about the “SNL” drama.
One fan wrote of the images, “Shame on SNL for their cruelty,” inspiring Wood to reply, “Thank you so much. Just to say, I actually wasn’t crying about anything that the papers made out &#8230; I was crying about something completely unrelated.”

Sarah Sherman

‘SNL’ Star Sends Flowers To ‘White Lotus’ Actress After Mocking Her Teeth In Skit

'SNL' Star Sends Flowers To 'White Lotus' Actress After Mocking Her Teeth In Skit

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