The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives fans have been through a lot over the past few months. Days after season 4 arrived on Hulu, production paused filming amid legal issues between Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortenson. (Paul's already-filmed season of The Bachelorette was soon shelved.) Despite the two-month hiatus, SLOMW maintained its twice-yearly schedule, with season 5 arriving on Hulu two years after the reality hit's September 2024 debut. (How has it only been two years!?)

The abridged, dour fifth season has left viewers wondering where the #MomTok show can go from here. But there's no need to fret, as the show's breakneck production special means viewers are guaranteed more episodes. Read on for everything we know about the future of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives so far.

Everything We Know About 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Season 6 So Far

Will there be more episodes of 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' season 5?

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 5 ends on the ultimate cliffhanger. The show doesn't include any footage recorded following the production pause (outside of confessionals). The abrupt ending, paired with a "To Be Continued" graphic, had fans running to the Internet to ask when the rest of season 5's episodes would drop.

Alas, a Season 5, Part 2 drop is not on the horizon. Hulu confirmed season 5's truncated length ahead of the show's return. In fact, an insider had revealed the filming timeline to PEOPLE back in May.

"Right now, they’re just filming confessionals for season 5,” the source said at the time. "They’ve decided they’re not going to film the rest of season 5, but apparently they’re still going to film season 6."

Is 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' renewed for season 6?

#MomTok is officially too big to fail. On August 6, 2026, Layla Taylor revealed on Hulu's Get Real podcast that the cast had begun filming The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 6.

Later that same day, outlets reported that Hulu had ordered 20 more episodes of SLOMW, which will make up seasons 6 and 7. This follows the series' production pattern so far, following the renewals of seasons 2 and 3 in October 2024, and seasons 4 and 5 in November 2025.

When will 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' season 6 be released?

Hulu has not confirmed season 6's release yet, but SLOMW has proved that they can make their twice-yearly release schedule come hell or high water. With production already filming new episodes, it's likely that the reality phenomenon will be back in spring 2027.

Who in the cast will return for 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' season 6?

Season 6 will bring some major shake-ups to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Days after season 5's release, fan-favorite Mikayla Matthews announced her departure from the series via Instagram. "I made my decision over a week ago, after hearing some news, that I will not be continuing the show at this moment," she wrote.

"I’ve said from the beginning of this that I’m not comfortable being a part of something that continues to platform behavior I don’t agree [with] especially given my own experience growing up in a home with multiple forms of abuse," she continued. "There’s no amount of money worth going against my morals or changing the stance I’ve had since I first saw and heard the things that made me feel this strongly. And for me personally, continuing to directly profit from this behavior feels wrong and unethical. It feels like a disservice to the children, everyone’s healing and the millions of people watching."

The news notably comes two weeks after Page Six reported that Taylor Frankie Paul will return for SLOMW season 6 "with the full support of ABC and Disney." Following Mikayla's post, Variety confirmed that, though production began on season 6 without her, Taylor's now set to resume filming.

A day after her initial post, Mikayla clarified her stance in an Instagram Story. Per The Wrap, she explained that she only began filming season 6 because of the unnamed person's absence, and that she hasn't filmed "a day since" she learned of their return.

"The ONLY reason I’m leaving the show is because I was told a certain person was coming back," she wrote. "I told them before agreeing to do 6 that I wasn’t going to film if that certain someone came back. Because it’s UNETHICAL and kids are involved. And I’m being put in an unfair position because of the things I’ve seen and heard that I don’t agree with."

It's currently unknown how much of Mikayla's already-filmed footage will appear in season 6. According to her Story, she will only take part in "contractual obligations and [confessional] interviews for what I have filmed" moving forward.

In the wake of Mikayla's exit, other members of #MomTok are reconsidering their involvement with the series past season 6. Both Mayci Neeley and Layla Taylor responded to fans' questions on whether they will remain on the show, per PEOPLE. The stars confirmed that they would finish out season 6, but admitted that their future with the show is, in Layla's words, "tbd."

Though season 7's roster remains to be seen, it's likely that Jessi Draper and Miranda Hope will join Mayci and Layla in the main cast of season 6. Jen Affleck has also been spotted filming new episodes, but it's unclear how much screen time she'll get, since she has a lot going on. (Jen's currently pregnant with her fourth child, and has reportedly joined the spinoff The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County.) It's currently unknown whether Taylor Frankie Paul will rejoin the main cast, or if she'll return in a guest role.

It's also (unfortunately) likely that the husbands of #DadTok will return for season 6. However, there's a possibility that the men who are publicly on the outs with the women—including Dakota, Jordan Ngatikaura, and Chase McWhorter—will receive less screentime.

Meanwhile, original cast member Whitney Leavitt has also confirmed that she will not return to the series for season 6. The influencer turned Broadway star announced the news in May 2026, before marking the release of season 5 with a farewell tribute to her "forever momtok."

Leavitt opened up about her departure during her June 2026 appearance on Marie Claire's Nice Talk. "This time is very different," she said, comparing the exit to her previous #MomTok hiatuses. "The times I'd left in the past were [because of] frustration and anger. It just wasn't a healthy way to leave. This time, I'm leaving with gratitude. Like, my cup is full. I don't feel like there's anything more for me there."

Will there be new cast members on 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' season 6?

Though nothing's been confirmed, the streets are saying that #MomTok has found some new members. Weeks after the season 6 renewal announcement, the show's stars were spotted filming in the Italian Riviera for the franchise's first international cast trip. It seems that the women were joined by two new Utah-based influencers: Kate Racker and Sarah Beeston.

Sarah Beeston may already be a familiar face to viewers who frequent certain corners of the internet. She already boasts 4.5 million followers on TikTok, while her family YouTube channel, the Beeston Fam, has over 2.9 million subscribers. Meanwhile, Kate Racker has already been in the background of SLOMW for years, as Chase McWhorter's on-again, off-again girlfriend. We'll have to see whether either of the women will step into the spotlight on season 6.

What will 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' season 6 be about?

After five episodes, one for every week of filming the show got through before the pause, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 5 only dedicates three minutes to the aftermath. Between clips of TikTok speculation and courthouse(!) footage, each of the show's stars (minus Taylor) sits down for confessionals where they confirm that #MomTok is in shambles amid the rift in the friend group. The final question posed by season 5—where do we go from here—is answered by a simple graphic: "To be continued."

Thanks to #MomTok's ubiquity on social media, there's already several clues of what viewers will see in season 6. In addition to the Milan trip, some developments in the casts' lives includes Jen's aforementioned pregnancy and move to California, Layla coming out as bisexual and beginning a new relationship, and Miranda also seemingly starting a new romance (with the former fling of a Love Island USA star).

And of course, Taylor's drama will remain a subject of conversation whether or not she's on screen. (Just look at how much Demi Engemann is mentioned in season 5, despite not appearing once.) Though Taylor didn't film a final confessional for season 5, she did open up about feeling "betrayed" and "abandoned" by her friends, in a July 2026 post.

"I’ll be the first to admit my wrong doing’s in the MomTok mess. We’re at each other’s throats and I’m removing myself from responding to any of it moving forward," she wrote on Instagram. "I’ve never discredited them. I’ve always supported all of them in their success. I’ve had their backs in times of need. I became defensive and let my ego take over when I heard …what I heard. I never felt so betrayed and abandoned by so many people I would have stood by no matter how exhausted."

Months later, it seems that those complicated feelings still go both ways. As of season 5's release, only Taylor and Jessi have followed each other back on Instagram. Also, in the Page Six report about Taylor's return, an insider claimed that there's "still a lot of hurt” among the women following the production pause. "[Taylor] doesn’t necessarily feel like she’s been supported by the women throughout the last few months," they added. It's anyone's guess on whether #MomTok will survive this.

It’s time to get in the water with Crew Girl.

The new teen drama, about a star rower (Miku Martineau) who has to find her place at an East Coast prep school after a family scandal implodes her life, arrived on Netflix on Sept. 10. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t know your way around a boat. The sports-romance from creator Vivian Lin gives you the full download on competitive rowing—you’ll know port from starboard and coxswain from stroke seat in no time—while also diving deep into the rivalries, romances, and all-around drama happening Easton Prep.

As Martineau told Netflix's Tudum, the show has "a lot of drama, a lot of abs, a lot of rowing." Read on to learn more about her and the rest of the crew grabbing the oars on this series, from an Off Campus star to a Mad Men alum and more.

Everything to Know About the Cast and Characters of 'Crew Girl'

Miku Martineau as Teagan Tao

Teagan is a talented 16-year-old rower who’s forced to relocate with her mom after her father is accused of financial crimes and goes on the run. She arrives at Easton Prep only to find out there’s no girls’ crew team — so instead, she becomes the coxswain (the person responsible for setting the pace and strategy for his or her crew) for the dysfunctional boys’ team. Not only is she trying to steer her way through a new life and a new school, she also has to get her new team to trust her out on the water.

Martineau, 21, is a Toronto-born Canadian actress who starred in the Netflix murder-mystery series Bet, which was renewed for a second season. You've also seen her in the 2021 action-thriller film Kate, the Paramount+ coming-of-age comedy Honor Society, and as the younger version of Michelle Yeoh's character, Phillipa Georgiou, in the sci-fi series Star Trek: Section 31.

Miku Martineau's Instagram: @miku.martineau

Jessica Paré as Ella Tao

Teagan's mother, Ella, is also figuring out how to start over. After her husband’s alleged crimes come to light, she moves them both back to her childhood home in Eagle's Cove to start this next phase of their lives, and enrolls Teagan at Easton Prep.

Paré, 45, is a Canadian actress and singer best known for playing Megan, Don Draper’s secretary-turned-wife, on the acclaimed series Mad Men. Born in Montreal, Paré has also landed roles on the CBS series Seal Team and films like Wicker Park, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Brooklyn.

Jessica Paré's Instagram: @jesspareforreal

Samuel Braun as Josh Regis

Josh is Easton Prep’s golden boy, a wealthy legacy student (his grandfather owns an airline) and the team’s coveted “stroke” seat. He isn’t exactly welcoming to Teagan when she joins the team, and they butt heads when he thinks he knows better than the new coxswain.

Samuel Braun got his start playing young Luke in 2013’s Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. Since then, the Canadian actor has gone on to appear in Voices For Isabelle, Superman & Lois, The Way Home, Time Cut, and more.

Samuel Braun's Instagram: @samhbraun

Kyle Clark as Cam Dillinger

Cam is a quiet but determined local who attends Easton on a rowing scholarship and refuses to be underestimated. His working-class background makes him very different from the posh Easton students he (and Teagan) interact with on- and offshore.

Another Canadian-born actor, Clark has appeared in episodes of Riverdale (in an uncredited role as a young version of Jughead’s father, Forsythe “F.P.” Jones), The Baby-Sitters Club, and Home Before Dark.

Kyle Clark's Instagram: @itskyleclark

Thomas Cadrot as Coach Matt Hayden

Coach Hayden is the coach of the Easton Prep boys’ crew team, which means he’s juggling the chaotic team members, school administration, and very rich parents with a lot of opinions. He also grew up with Teagan’s mother, Ella, but stayed in town after graduation to start his own family.

Thomas Cadrot was born in Paris and can be seen in Scream VI, Family Law, So Help Me Todd, and more.

Thomas Cadrot's Instagram: @thomas.cadrot

Connor Paton as Ryder Regis

Ryder (above, right) is Josh’s cousin and fellow Easton crew teammate. He’s sick of being stuck in his cousin’s shadow.

Connor Paton made his acting debut in the TV movie Away & Back and has gone onto appear on Riverdale, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, iZombie, Happy Face, and the recent Netflix adaptation of Little House on the Prairie.

Jude Wilson as Bronson "Baloo" Garner

Bronson, aka "Baloo," is a good-natured member of the crew team. His sister, Britney (more on her below), is also an Easton student.

Jude Wilson is a Canadian actor based in Vancouver. You’ve seen him in the 2019 Are You Afraid of the Dark? reboot, Riverdale, Firefly Lane, A Million Little Things, and Fellow Travelers.

Jude Wilson's Instagram: @juderwilson

Olga Petsa as Juliet Morny

Juliet (above, right) is Teagan's new friend at Easton. Like many of their classmates, she comes from a wealthy family and boards at school — as opposed to Teagan, who lives at home and commutes.

Olga Petsa, 20, is a Cyprus-born actress who moved to Canada with her family when she was 9. In addition to Crew Girl, her onscreen credits include Mixtape, I Used to Be Funny, and Black Mirror. According to IMDb, she'll also be seen in the upcoming Netflix movie The Mosquito Bowl and season 4 of Yellowjackets.

Olga Petsa's Instagram: @olgapetsa

Vincent Muller as Damon Quaid

Damon is a member of the Easton Prep crew team with a propensity for starting trouble.

Vincent Muller, 21, has acted on shows like Riverdale, Watson, Murder in a Small Town, and Hope Valley: 1874.

Vincent Muller’s Instagram: @_vincentmuller_

Riley Davis as Noah Bainbridge

Straight-laced Noah is another member of the Easton Prep crew team.

Off Campus fans will recognize Riley Davis as Sean, Allie’s ex-boyfriend, on the hit Prime Video series. The Canadian actor has also been seen in Fire Country, the Curious Caterer Mysteries, The Copenhagen Test, and more.

Riley Davis' Instagram: @rileydavisfilm

Sage Linder as Britney Garner

Britney (above, center right) is Easton's resident Queen Bee and the "twibling" of Baloo. (Their mother, a senator, used two different surrogates at the same time.) She’s also Josh's girlfriend.

Sage Linder, 25, was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. She appeared in episodes of Riverdale and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, and The Good Doctor, along with starring in the miniseries Harlan Coben's Shelter. She also plays Bronte in the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Sage Linder’s Instagram: @sagelinder

Alaska Leigh as Amber

Amber (above, center right) is a friend of Britney's and a fellow member of the cool-kid crowd at Easton.

Alaska Leigh began her career at the age of 3 through dancing and modeling work, according to her IMDb page. Originally from Queensland, Australia, she's appeared in the TV movie Dying for a Family and series like Fire Country, Creepshow, and Dead Boy Detectives. She's also been cast in national tours for the musicals Chicago and Rock of Ages.

Alaska Leigh's Instagram: @alaskaleigh

Connor Wong as Perry Chou

Another member of the crew team at Easton Prep, Perry (above, center) is described as "always on trend, never on rhythm."

Connor Wong got his start in dance and theater, per his IMDb, and made his acting debut in 2020's The Baby-Sitters Club. He’s also been seen in Home Before Dark, Monster High: The Movie, and the second season of Cruel Summer.

Connor Wong's Instagram: @connor.wong

Jarrett Carlington as Chris "Crab Catcher" Padmore

Chris Padmore is another Easton rower. His nickname, "Crab Catcher," refers to his rowing ability, or lack thereof. (A "crab" in rowing-speak, is when your oar gets stuck underwater mid-stroke.)

Jarrett Carlington is a Canadian-born actor raised in Bermuda. He's landed roles on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Resident Alien, and Fire Country, as well as in the 2020 film Spontaneous.

Jarrett Carlington's Instagram: @jarrettcarlington

Niall Matter as Richard Regis

Richard Regis is Josh's entitled father, who's an Easton alum and former rower himself. He also knew Teagan's mother, Ella, and Coach Harvey from back when they all were students.

Niall Matter is a Canadian-American actor who’s appeared in films like The Predator and Watchmen. On TV, he's appeared in Primeval: New World, Melrose Place, The Good Doctor, and Supernatural, in addition to Hallmark shows and movies like When Calls the Heart and We Met in December.

Niall Matter's Instagram: @officiallyniallmatter

K-drama fans, prepare for Hulu to dominate your fall watchlists. The streamer has spent the past year expanding its slate of can't-miss dramas and reality shows, from Perfect Crown to Battle of Fates to A Shop for Killers season 2. Today, Hulu continues its run with the return of its most-acclaimed crime thriller (and one of the most-expensive Korean dramas ever made).

Made In Korea made its debut last holiday season, introducing viewers to a twist-filled crime noir set in the turbulent 1970s. The first season followed two men on different sides of the law: Baek Kitae (played by Crash Landing on You's Hyun Bin), a morally-grey officer in the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA); and Jang Geonyoung (Jung Woo-sung), the dogged prosecutor determined to expose Kitae's dirty secrets.

Season 2 picks up nine years later, as Kitae reaches the height of his power and faces a surprising new foe: his younger brother, Baek Kihyun (played by Bloodhounds' Woo Do-hwan). The sibling rivalry adds an engrossing new layer to the three men's quests for power, amid a rapidly-changing political landscape.

Ahead of season 2's premiere on September 9, Hyun Bin and Woo Do-hwan sat down with Marie Claire in Seoul, South Korea, and teased the family drama at the center of the six-part installment.

"Kitae and Kihyun are brothers, but we also thought of them a lot as father and son," Woo said. "As the son, Kihyun [begins] the process of clashing with his father's thoughts."

Hyun added, "Kitae constantly sees Kihyun trying to do something else, trying to go in a different direction. Kitae experiences a lot of internal conflict, because he's a person with a firm belief that he must protect his family." He continued, "[In season 2], not only Kitae, but all the characters fight even more fiercely to gain the upper hand."

For its second and final season, Made in Korea reunited its all-star roster of award-winning Korean actors and global stars. Below, read on for a breakdown of the main cast and characters of Hulu's historical K-drama.

Everything to Know About the Cast of 'Made in Korea' Season 2

Hyun Bin as Baek Kitae

Baek Kitae is a top agent at the KCIA, a government agency modeled after the American CIA which serves as the enforcing arm of a military dictatorship. By season 2, Kitae is next in line to run the agency. He also balances his government career with his off-hours work smuggling illegal drugs.

Hyun Bin, 43, made his acting debut in the early 2000s and rose to fame with roles in classic K-dramas like My Lovely Sam Soon, Worlds Within, and Secret Garden, as well as box-office hits like Confidential Assignment. He's best known globally for starring alongside his eventual wife Son Ye-jin in the beloved romantic K-drama Crash Landing on You. In 2022, the couple got married and welcomed a son.

Earlier this year, Hyun won Best Actor at the prestigious Baeksang Arts Awards, for his performance in season 1 of Made in Korea.

Jung Woo-sung as Jang Geonyoung

Busan prosecutor Jang Geonyoung first enters the KCIA's crosshairs due to his narcotics investigation targeting the Manjae Gang. Geonyoung determination to take down Kitae's smuggling operation is driven by a traumatic familial history with drugs. After hitting rock bottom at the end of season 1, Geonyoung will "transform from a man pursuing justice into one consumed by revenge," per The Korea Times.

Jung Woo-sung, 53, is one of Korea's most-famous leading men. He spent his career starring in blockbuster films like Musa (2001); A Moment to Remember (2004); The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008); Cold Eyes (2013); Beasts Clutching at Straws (2020); and 12.12: The Day (2023). Before Made In Korea, he starred in the K-dramas Asphalt Man, Athena: Goddess of War, and Tell Me That You Love Me.

In 2016, Jung and his best friend, Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae, co-founded the talent agency Artist Company. The agency is now home to many of Korea's top actors, including Park So-dam, Kim Hye-yoon, and Lim Ji-yeon.

Jung Woo-sung's Instagram: @tojws

Woo Do-hwan as Baek Kihyun

At the start of Made in Korea, Kitae's younger brother Baek Kihyun (above, right) is a rising soldier torn between patriotic duty and loyalty to the brother who raised him after his parents' death. By season 2, Kihyun has a position in the Defense Security Demand that puts him fully at odds with Kitae.

Woo Do-hwan, 34, rose to fame with roles in K-dramas like Save Me, Mad Dog, Tempted, My Country: The New Age, and The King: Eternal Monarch. His leading roles as Kim Geon-woo in Bloodhounds and Hae Jo in Mr. Plankton propelled him to global fame. In 2021, Woo won Korea's Golden Cinema Festival’s best new actor award for his role in the film The Divine Fury.

Woo Do-hwan's Instagram: @wdohwan

Won Ji-an as Ikeda Yuji

Kitae spends season 1 building a business relationship with Ikeda Yuji, a lobbyist and an influential figure in the Ikeda yakuza clan. Born Choi Yuji, she was adopted by Ikeda Osamu, the clan's leader, as a child. Though she wants to inherit the position, many members of the clan will never accept a Zainichi (an ethnic Korean living in Japan) as their boss.

Netflix K-drama fans may recognize Won Ji-an, 27, from her fan-favorite role as Se-mi (No. 380) on Squid Game season 2. Last year, the actress made her Hulu debut in the contemporary political thriller Tempest before joining Made in Korea. She also led her first romance drama, starring alongside Park Seo-joon in Surely Tomorrow.

Won Ji-an's Instagram: @wonjianolive

Seo Eun-soo as Oh Yejin

In season 1, Oh Yejin is a determined officer working on Geunyoung's narcotics investigation. Though she's talented, she faces an uphill battle in the male-dominated police force. Nine years later, Yejin has become Korea's first female prosecutor in the narcotics division.

Seo Eun-soo, 32, is best known for her standout roles in K-dramas like My Golden Life, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, Unlock My Boss, and Chief Detective 1958. She also starred alongside Shin Si-ah and Park Eun-bin in the Korean horror movie The Witch: Part 2. The Other One.

Seo Eun-soo's Instagram: @jj_minii

Jung Sung-il as Cheon Seokjung

Cheon Seokjung, the president's close advisor and Kitae's most powerful ally, is played by Jung Sung-il, 46. A prolific theater actor, Jung became a global breakout star in 2022, with his performance as Ha Do-yeong in Netflix's revenge drama The Glory. His other K-drama credits include Birthcare Center, Bad and Crazy, Our Blues and Unmasked.

In 2024, Jung won a Baeksang Arts Award for Best New Actor for his role in the Netflix historical film Uprising.

Jung Sung-il's Instagram: @ygmicael

Since Heated Rivalry debuted in December 2025 and took over pop culture, Canada's Crave has become TV's buzziest international streaming service. Now the streamer has teamed up with co-producer Elliot Page to release a new sapphic comedy perfect for sports-romance fans.

Slo Pitch, based on creator J Stevens' hit web series of the same name, is a mockumentary-style show following the Public Lass Brovaries, an underdog softball team co-founded by Coach Joanne Salo (Jess Salgueiro) and her longtime girlfriend. But when Joanne is dump longtime girlfriend dumps her out-of-the-blue, and her ex transfers to a different team, the coach becomes determined to lead the team to the beer-league championship, whatever it takes.

Stars Karen Knox and Salguiero teased the LGBTQ+ comedy earlier this summer, responding to early hype comparing the show to its predecessor. "I was thrilled to be in any way, shape, or form in the same club," Salgueiro said, per Them. "It’s a little bit different. A few less makeout scenes — there’s a couple."

"I would argue that they’re as hot as the ones in Heated Rivalry," Knox added. "...Less six packs, more sloppy."

Thankfully, viewers won't have to wait much longer to check out the series for themselves. Below, read on for everything to know about Slo Pitch, including how to watch the highly-anticipated series in the U.S.

When does 'Slo Pitch' come out?

Crave has confirmed that Slo Pitch is set to premiere on Friday, September 25, 2026. The show will follow a weekly release schedules, with two episodes coming out each Friday up to the season finale on October 23.

According to the official synopsis, the ten-part series will follow the Brovaries as they "navigate a season filled with rivalries, unexpected romances, sponsorship drama, outrageous fundraising efforts, and plenty of post-game beers, discovering that community and friendship matter just as much as winning."

Where can you watch 'Slo Pitch' in the U.S.?

As of early September, the Canadian series has not given word on when the comedy will become available to stream in the U.S. However, fans are hoping that the comedy will follow in the footsteps of other Crave series like Heated Rivalry, which streams on HBO Max, or Yaga, which is set to premiere on AMC+.

In the meantime, viewers can plan to stream Slo Pitch on Crave, which is also home to underrated comedies like Letterkenny or Shoresy. If you don't have a VPN, you can use one like Nord VPN.

Who is in the cast of 'Slo Pitch'?

The cast of Slo Pitch includes several alumni from Crave's breakout shows. Letterkenny and The Boys alum Jess Salguiero leads the cast as Coach Joanne, with Schitt's Creek's Emily Hampshire playing Leanne ahead of joining Heated Rivalry season 2.

Rounding out the main cast are Karen Knox as Boris, Gwenlyn Cumyn as Ann, Chelsea Muirhead as Sasha, Emma Hunter as Barb, Lane Webber as Lee, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah as Zari, and Amanda Cordner as Mel. Nadine Bhabha, the Heated Rivalry fan-favorite who played Kip's bestie Elena, is also credited as both a writer and a guest star on the new show.

Slo Pitch will also include a cameo by Ayami Sato, the Japanese softball legend who became the first woman to play in a Canadian men’s professional baseball league in 2024.

Is there a 'Slo Pitch' trailer?

Crave released the Slo Pitch trailer on August 26, offering a first look at the sapphic sports comedy. Despite the recently-dumped Joanne asserting early in the trailer that "love and sports do not mix," the comedy promises a heartwarming, raunchy hangout comedy where the Brovaries balance their beer-league ambitions with several inter-team hookups.

Stassi Schroeder would like you to know she's thrilled that Hulu is signing her checks. In the first confessional of her new reality series, House of Stassi, she admires the green screen behind her the way a Regency romance heroine might react to the concept of indoor plumbing. "Are you joking?" she marvels. "Shit's premium over at Disney."

The fourth wall, if it was ever even erected, has been bulldozed.

It's the same on Hulu's The Girls, where Khloé Kardashian's friends spend an entire episode drawing on-camera boundaries via sly texts shared across Malibu dinner tables. On The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, another Hulu product, the husbands hustle their DadTok accounts for villa bookings while their more successful other halves negotiate season salaries, all while practically waving at the camera.

Across these three shows, how the sausage gets made isn't hidden any more. It's the content.

It makes sense. Reality TV is 25 years old now. Anyone still watching has wised up to the fact that those blowouts Kim Kardashian had with her sisters over swimming pool-sized bowls of Health Nut salads were almost always scheduled. A few of us were even alive to witness the moment, in 2010, when Kristin Cavallari said goodbye to Brody Jenner on a fake Los Angeles street, the camera pulling back to reveal the whole soundstage. But that was a gag, a wink at the end of six seasons. What's happening now is more structural, like the formula knew it needed a refresh, something to help the Botox metabolize so the natural wrinkles could show.

There's a difference, though, between acknowledging the business and putting the woman who decides what airs in the frame with the people it's happening to.

House of Stassi is the clearest proof. Schroeder, six years after being fired from Vanderpump Rules, has decided she deserves the Kris Jenner treatment. She's recruited family members, friends, and, most importantly, her former Vanderpump alum Katie Maloney, to effectively manage on-screen. She promises them a tax bracket glow-up while chasing relevancy for herself, and she's shameless about it — staging dinner parties she describes on air as team meetings, taking gigs in the name of "Disney synergy," even showing the sizzle reel that sold House of Stassi in the actual premiere of House of Stassi.

When Katie tells Schroeder at brunch that her inner circle is made up of employees with no concept of work-life balance ("If they didn't come out of you, aren't married to you, or aren't on your fucking payroll, they don't get to be in your life"), Schroeder grows positively giddy. "That's the kind of truth-telling we need on reality TV," she gushes to camera. It's one of the few real "reads" uttered all season, and her instinct is to compliment its ratings potential.

That's because Schroeder is producing her life, not living it. The editing knows this, cutting episodes in ways that treat her celebrity complex as a sort of punchline. And to her credit, she's never been precious about looking bad on television; a decade in, she'll hand over the unflattering angle herself. It's funny and cringe, something all good reality shows are, but it starts to wear thin a few episodes in, especially when Schroeder's fame-grab begins to damage the people closest to her. Self-awareness, it turns out, has a sell-by date. It, like everything else, gets old.

Hulu's The Girls, another show whose foundation rests atop the fourth wall rubble, has the same problem. Khloé Kardashian's cast (her word) is made up of women who are her friends, but not necessarily each other's. They're the vehicle through which she can live out her own Sex and the City daydreams. (Khloé is, naturally, a Carrie, narrating every dildo donation party and al fresco brunch.)

What makes The Girls interesting is also what makes it so uncomfortable. Kardashian strips conversations for parts, exposes private texts, and pushes women to compromise their comfort in the name of "honesty" because the almighty camera can apparently tell when you're lying. By cutting confessionals entirely, the audience only views these women through her tailored lens. They never get to narrate their own experience. Take Malika and Khadijah Haqq, her best friends for nearly 20 years, and in the background on her family's shows for just as long. This season, one navigates a painful divorce and the other tries to restart her life on her own terms, yet both stories are filtered through Khloé: their director, their producer, the employer signing their checks. Their bond pre-dates Keeping Up with the Kardashians, but it might not survive The Girls. And if it doesn't, the cameras will capture that too, because everything is content, isn't it?

Then there's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which uses the fourth wall the way the other two shows wish they could: sparingly. These women are savvy content creators, but they're also friends with years of history and the shared experience of being raised in a community that doesn't support their current lifestyles. Even when they're throwing insults at dinner parties and removing themselves from group chats, the stakes feel more concrete. The transparency works because these women are still figuring out how to navigate this world instead of engineering it.

That's the real test. You can show an audience the green screen once, but every season spent showing the set-up before the scene or the puppeteering that goes into a lunch sit-down fueled by accusations and Aperol Spritz filters out the viewers who came to watch a life from the ones who came to watch a job. For SLOMW, showing the wires makes the show better. On House of Stassi, the wires are the show, but that won't hold anyone's attention for long. And on The Girls, the wires point to something producers might not want us to be thinking about too carefully: who holds the power, and who gets a say in the depiction of their own life. One is insightful. The other? Boring. And one might put people off the genre altogether.

This trend of taking a sledgehammer to the old ways of translating "real life" on screen can feel like a needed shot of authenticity when done well. But when it's constant, like with House of Stassi and The Girls, it draws attention to a bigger problem. Reality TV is simply a different ballgame now. We used to get our kicks from watching normal people do something they'd regret in pursuit of money and fame. Now, we're watching influencers, professional celebrities, and their glorified assistants with money and fame do regretful things in pursuit of more. At some point, acknowledging the camera's role in all this will stop reading as novel and start to feel, at worst, off-putting, and at best, just plain obvious.

Fall is here, which means it's time for television's biggest night. The Emmys are tonight, and Hollywood is getting ready to celebrate the past year in TV.

This year's awards show features exciting changes, from a new network hosting the festivities to one of television's biggest icons as a first-time host. The top nominees range from pop culture's buzziest hits to beloved comedies in their final season, to debut shows that became word-of-mouth sensations. Read on for everything you need to know about the 2026 Emmys, including how to tune into the ceremony, which A-listers are set to walk the red carpet, and which must-see TV shows are expected to win big.

Everything to Know About the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards

When are the 2026 Emmys?

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will air live on NBC on Monday, September 14 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. This year's ceremony will be held at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in downtown L.A.

How can I watch the 2026 Emmys?

Viewers with cable can tune into their local NBC channel or use their cable login to watch from a computer or phone via the CBS website or app.

The Emmys can also be streamed on Peacock. However, the ceremony will only stream live for subscribers to one of Peacock's two premium tiers. The app's standard Premium tier with ads starts at $13/month, while the ad-free Premium Plus tier starts at $20/month. (Since the Emmys are a live event, it will still air with ads for Premium Plus subscribers.)

The full ceremony will be available to stream on demand the following day for subscribers in the U.S. only, including those at the Peacock Select tier (at $9/month). Though Peacock's official website doesn't offer free trials, Prime Video subscribers can get a seven-day free trial by signing up for the Premium Plus plan through Amazon's streamer.

If you neither have cable nor a Peacock Premium subscription, there are still ways to watch the Emmys. Live streaming TV services like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV Stream, Fubo, and Sling TV provide access to NBC (and most offer free trials).

Viewers outside of the U.S. can watch the Emmys live through their regional networks, or catch them on-demand on Peacock. If you don't have a VPN, you can use one like Nord VPN.

How can I watch the 2026 Emmys red carpet?

Fashion fans will have multiple options to follow the Emmys red carpet. E!'s annual coverage will start at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, with the hosts and commentators to be announced. Meanwhile, CNN and Variety will co-host red-carpet coverage, available to watch on the CNN website and streaming app for subscribers.

Who is hosting the 2026 Emmys?

Actress, producer, director, activist, and national treasure Mariska Hargitay will host this year's Emmy Awards. The television icon and Emmy winner will make her awards-hosting debut, ahead of her 28th season playing Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU.

"I’m at a place in my life where I am excited about doing new things. And if not now, when?" she told Deadline in August. "It’s such an extraordinary opportunity and I am excited about it. I’m excited to see all the people. I’m excited to celebrate people’s work. I guess I don’t really see it as about me. I see it about being part of something so historic."

Who is presenting at the 2026 Emmys?

The Television Academy has revealed two of the iconic shows that will receive tributes at this year's ceremony. Buffy the Vampire Slayer stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz will celebrate the show's 30th anniversary. Meanwhile, the three original Charlie's Angels—Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd, and Jaclyn Smith—will reunite for the 50th anniversary of the TV series that began the franchise.

The rest of the presenters announced so far includes Odessa A'zion, Stephen Amell, Awkwafina, Noah Beck, Jessica Belkin, Scott Caan, Linda Cardellini, Macaulay Culkin, Jamie Lee Curtis, Alan Cumming, Emma D'Arcy, Sally Field, Julia Garner, LL Cool J, Jon Hamm, David Harbour, Woody Harrelson, Hassie Harrison, Marcello Hernández, Paul Anthony Kelly, Peter Krause, Thaddeus LaGrone, Dan Levy, Julianna Margulies, Matthew McConaughey, John Mulaney, Annie Murphy, Brooks Nader, Niecy Nash-Betts, Keke Palmer, Amanda Peet, Amy Poehler, Florence Pugh, Emmy Rossum, Rachel Sennott, SofíaVergara, Shailene Woodley, and Zendaya.

As for special segments, Michael J. Fox is set to grace the stage to receive this year's Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, in honor of his "transformative contributions to Parkinson’s disease research and advocacy," per the Academy.

Who is performing at the 2026 Emmys?

Though the Emmys typically aren't known for musical performances, this year's In Memorium segment may be one of the night's biggest moments. Though it hasn't been confirmed by the Academy, country legend Reba McEntire will reportedly perform a tribute to the late Dolly Parton, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Grammy nominee Noah Kahan has been confirmed to lead the overall segment, with a performance of "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

Who is nominated at the 2026 Emmys?

We can expect some exciting races this year. The Pitt's second season is both the most-recognized show of the year and the top nominee in the drama category, with 25 nominations overall. Other top drama nominees include Pluribus, with 18 nominations, followed by Fallout (9), A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (9), Slow Horses (9), and The Gilded Age (8).

Meanwhile, the comedy categories are expected to be a showdown between Hacks, which racked up 24 nominations for its final season, and Widow's Bay, the most successful debut series of the year with 19 noms. The rest of the notable comedy nominees include Spider-Noir (11), Shrinking (9), The Bear (8), Margo's Got Money Troubles (8), and Abbott Elementary (7).

In the limited or anthology series category, the second season of Beef leads the pack with 16 noms, followed closely by DTF St. Louis (13), with The Beast in Me (9). Other notable shows include All Her Fault (7), Black Rabbit (7), and Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette (6).

Finally, notable unscripted specials and reality shows include Saturday Night Live (11), The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (9), RuPaul’s Drag Race (9), Jimmy Kimmel Live! (6), The Muppet Show (6), and The Traitors (6).

Hulu's serial-killer thriller Furious is an unflinching exploration of feminine rage. The must-watch series from Liz Meriwether—the creator behind Dying for Sex, The Dropout, and New Girl—follows FBI agent Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) as she investigates Catherine (Lola Petticrew), a trafficking survivor targeting a series of wealthy, powerful men. As Alice tracks the mysterious killer down, she has to reckon with her own trauma as a domestic abuse survivor. Required viewing for fans of Promising Young Woman, Mare of Easttown, and Killing Eve, the revenge thriller asks what happens when these women let their anger drive them.

Furious's first installment came to an end on August 31, with a twist ending that has left fans reeling—and begging for more episodes. Thankfully, Hulu has already given word on the acclaimed series' future. Below, read on as we track everything we know about Furious season 2 so far.

Everything We Know About 'Furious' Season 2

Is 'Furious' renewed for season 2?

Yes! Hulu announced that Furious's season 2 renewal on August 27, days before the hit thriller's finale. The news isn't a huge surprise. Though Hulu hasn't released its streaming numbers yet, the series has a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes and universal praise from critics.

"We are so overwhelmed and grateful for the love and support you have shown for our first season," executive producer and star Emmy Rossum said in an Instagram post sharing the renewal. "I can't wait to make more."

When will 'Furious' return for season 2?

Unfortunately, fans may have a bit of a wait until Furious returns to our screens for season 2. On the day of the thriller's renewal, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the show's team is "still very early in the development process."

As for a possible timeline, Hulu first greenlit Furious back in March 2025. Filming taking place that fall, and season 1 eventually premiered on the streamer in late July 2026. If season 2 follows a similar timeline, new episodes could arrive on Hulu by fall 2027 or winter 2028.

Which cast members will return for 'Furious' season 2?

Hulu has yet to confirm that cast of Furious season 2, but it's guaranteed that Emmy Rossum will return to lead the series as Alice. The rest of the main cast is also likely to return, including Quincy Tyler Bernstine (Nora), Scoot McNairy (Danny), Rob Yang (Frank), Danny McCarthy (Ed), and Jake Lacy (Marshall).

After the events of the season 1 finale, it's unknown whether Lola Petticrew will reprise her role as the serial killer Catherine Grace. However, there is a chance that she could come back for a few episodes, as the avenging devil whispering on Alice's shoulder. (Also, here's hoping we get another scene between Catherine and Steve Way's Alden.)

What will 'Furious' season 2 be about?

The first season of Furious ends with Alice taking the first step from law enforcement to vigilante. By the end of the finale, both Alice and Nora have secured their jobs, with Nora holding evidence that her boss Ed had covered up Jay Easton's Espstein-esque crimes. Though Catherine is in jail, she admits that she's actually doing pretty well. Alice even starts a relationship with Danny.

But the FBI agent is also hiding a big secret: Jay Easton's death wasn't an accident. Alice killed him, smothering him in a rage after he taunted her for the nonconsensual intimate recording made when she was 14. Alice now has access to a list of over 50,000 people who've downloaded the video.

When Alice visits Catherine in prison in the final scene of season 1, Catherine guesses that Alice killed Easton. When the serial killer asks Alice if she liked how it felt, she just smiles, before the screen goes black.

Since the finale dropped, Liz Meriwether has given several interviews that include some hints of the show's possible trajectory. According to the creator, season 2 will likely follow Alice and Nora as they investigate a new grisly case.

"[As an] almost lifelong Law and Order SVU fan, I love the idea of a unit in the FBI that like takes on these cases....but one case over the course of a season," Meriwether told Mashable.

In a joint interview with Variety, Meriwether and Rossum also hinted that Alice will likely be struggling to unpack everything that happened in season 1, even as she starts her new position on Nora's team.

"When your worst fears are confirmed that that tape exists and that 50,000 people have watched your childhood trauma, I think there’s almost a peace at knowing you were right — and now, what do you do about it?" Rossum said. "And she got what she wanted, which was to get into that room and to get onto that squad. But I think that you know she’s on the next mission."

Meriwether added, "I never felt like we should be fully rooting for violence from either character. And I do feel like Alice’s choice to kill Jay in the end is a choice that makes sense for the character and where she is. But I also question if going forward, that choice is something that traps her a little bit."

When the season finale of Let’s Marry Harry dropped on August 12, 2026, the Netflix Reality Universe entered a new phase. Pop culture fans didn’t wonder which lucky lady the bachelor in question—in this case, notorious dating-show player Harry Jowsey—chose, as is typical of reality finales. Rather, they wanted to know whether he had actually gotten legally wed at all. They got their answer days later: Jowsey himself admitted the answer was no.

But the reveal didn't feel all that surprising. It simply proved the fundamental paradox behind Netflix's hit reality slate is catching up with the streamer: Dating shows shouldn't involve marriage.

The pursuit of love on reality TV has always been a conundrum, but Netflix takes dissonance to the next level. Since Love Is Blind became a cultural phenomenon amid the COVID lockdowns, the streamer has fashioned its most popular unscripted shows around the notion that marriage is the ultimate prize. Despite its abysmal success rate, each Love Is Blind reunion boasts at least one married couple to espouse that the show can bring contestants love. The most recent season of The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On—another toxic show from the same production team behind LIB—ended with the NRU’s first reunion wedding. (Fear not: The happy couple signed the marriage certificate on-screen.) And it’s not just the Lachey-hosted shows: Temptation Island and Age of Attraction both touted engagements. Never mind that the age-gap series notably included commitment ceremonies rather than proposals; the couples still exchanged promise rings.

So why did Let’s Marry Harry, which came out less than a month after The Ultimatum’s impromptu nuptials, end with a wedding but not a marriage? According to a production source, the lack of a signed certificate was to avoid spoilers. This choice meant that the competition ended with an empty prize, if not for the contestants, then for viewers lacking media literacy who took the happy ending at face value. Jowsey spends the entire series expressing that his father's death was a wake-up call that made him long for commitment. During the finale wedding, he dons his father's glasses while reading his vows. When he never truly had anything on the line—unlike his contestants, who subject themselves to social-media scrutiny for the chance at a husband—all of those assertions of growth ring hollow.

Only Jowsey himself knows his true intentions, but after the LMH reunion, it seems that he didn’t take the symbolic lifetime commitment very seriously. He and his “ex-wife,” Amber Mozo, broke up less than two months after the wedding. Amber has accused Harry of cheating on her while they were together, with both runner-up Dannelle Davidson and an influencer who he’s now dating.

Over my five years covering Love Is Blind and other shows, I’ve become increasingly cynical that these marriage-pilled dating shows are anything other than a new frontier of the outrage economy. Each season has presented more “fairy tale” pod love stories; more jaw-droppingly toxic men; more controversies that reach new levels of horror when you realize that the unwitting party (usually the woman) may be legally bound to the cheater, gaslighter, or misogynist at the end. The entire dating-show genre was built on a foundation of indignation; however, many of Netflix’s predecessors—from Joe Millionaire to Flavor of Love to the best seasons of The Bachelor—gave a self-aware wink to the audience that contestants saw love as more of a “would-be-nice” prospect compared to fame, financial security, or a free vacation. Even in the most misanthropic LIB season, there’s at least one person (typically a woman) who was earnestly looking for a life partner and ends the show genuinely heartbroken.

At a time when many young people (myself included) are trying to build lives outside of patriarchal norms, it’s hard for me not to see these shows as preying on a universal desire for partnership, at a time when marriage is on the decline. The producers—with married hosts like the Lacheys, the Willises, or the Vialls as their mouthpieces—ascribe marriage and babies as life’s biggest goal and then instill a scarcity mindset, via public humiliation, in women desperate to reach that next stage in life. Forget trad wives—these dating shows are the most effective way to reinforce gender norms to viewers trying to escape politics.

The dating show that proves marriage isn’t needed for high stakes or swoonworthy romance is the same one that threatens Netflix’s reality supremacy. Love Island USA’s endgame is much less dramatic; becoming boyfriend and girlfriend is the highest level of commitment the contestants make. LIUSA is not without its flaws (and is inevitably an influencer talent incubator), but proves that you don’t need an on-screen marriage or engagement to create a can’t-miss season of television and a pop-culture phenomenon.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that Netflix is lightening up on its marriage-pilled reality shows any time soon. The streamer recently announced Netflix, Will You Marry Me?, an interactive dating competition where subscribers will vote live on a potential wife for a to-be-announced bachelor. The announcement promises, “The thrill of swiping on friends’ dating apps just got amplified”—a telling pitch, considering dating apps have arguably destabilized modern dating culture. I’m expecting Netflix, Will You Marry Me? to take over social media when it comes out, as it spurs the latest monocultural argument of heterosexual mating norms. I’m also praying that viewers will look beyond the urge to argue which of the contrived, edited relationships are marriage-worthy. Instead, we should all question why marriage is seen as a measure of worth, and why reality TV wants women to covet it.

When Adults debuted on FX on Hulu in May 2025, TV obsessives found their new favorite friend group to watch. FX's hangout comedy from Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold has been a mainstay on social media since, as new viewers discover the word-of-mouth hit's mix of Gen Z satire and earnest codependency.

Luckily for impatient fans, Adults is finally back for season 2, with roommates and besties Samir (Malik Elassal), Billie (Lucy Freyer), Issa (Amita Rao), Anton (Owen Thiele), and Paul Baker (Jack Innanen) returning for eight new episodes of hijinks.

To celebrate the new season's release, Thiele, Elassal, Innanen, Rao, and Freyer sat down with Marie Claire to test their friendship with a game of How Well Do You Know Your Co-Star?. The quintet flew through guessing each other's favorite apps, coffee orders, food icks, childhood lore, and treasured collections. (Shout out to all the coin collectors and lovers of Japanese denim out there.) It's clear that after filming two seasons together in Toronto, the rising stars have become TV's most enviable friend group, both on and off.

Watch the challenge above to get the scoop on Elassal's intricate hidden talent, Innanen's urinal encounter with Jeremy Strong, Rao's history of unrequited childhood crushes, and the impressive number of daps the actors exchanged in seven minutes. Then, head to Hulu to catch Adults season 2.

It's been 12 years since the publication of Big Little Lies, a novel so enthralling that it inspired an Emmy-winning HBO adaptation and sent author Liane Moriarty's career into orbit. Now, Moriarty is publishing the sequel fans have long begged for—and if you're excited about season 3 of the show, it doubles as a sneak peek: The plot of the third season, currently "in process," per Reese Witherspoon, will be rooted in Moriarty's sequel, Big Little Truths.

As Moriarty clarifies in her author's note: "Big Little Truths is a sequel to the book, not the series. It follows the book's narrative." That said, the series' award-winning performances did impact Big Little Truths, out August 25. Mary-Louise, Perry's mother, was nowhere to be found in Moriarty's original novel—but was "played so deliciously by the extraordinary Meryl Streep...that [the sequel] had to feature Mary-Louise, albeit an Australian version of her," the author writes. Additionally, while Renata was a small character in the book, Laura Dern's Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Renata Klein was so magnificent, Moriarty writes, "that I had no choice but to give her more prominence in Big Little Truths."

Ahead, we speak to Moriarty about how the HBO adaptation made itself felt during her writing process, moving through life alongside her cast of characters, and how she manifested Streep as Mary-Louise.

Marie Claire: First, I wanted to ask about bringing Mary-Louise to life in Big Little Truths. I'd love to hear about that process for you—seeing Meryl Streep on-screen, and then creating the character of Mary Louise in your sequel.

Liane Moriarty: I actually created the role of Mary-Louise for Meryl Streep. When I was first writing [a continuation of the Big Little Lies story], I ended up calling it a novella for season 2. [In 2019, that novella was adapted by David E. Kelley into the screenplay for the second season of the HBO series.]

I had always said, "I'm not going to write a sequel." But then they started talking about season 2, and I had ideas; I was saying, "Maybe you could do this, or that." Eventually I said, "Okay, I'll write something." So I ended up writing 50,000 words. But before that, I was talking to my sister [the author Jaclyn Moriarty] and saying, "Should I do it?" And she said, "You should only do it if you'd have fun with it. You could write a role for your favorite actress."

And that's when I said, "Okay, well, I'm going to write a role for Meryl Streep." I thought, "I will find out Meryl's middle name, and I'll call the character by her middle name." And I looked her up, and that's when I found out that her real name, or her given name, is Mary Louise. And Mary-Louise worked perfectly for the character.

When I finished it, I told the producers about my audacity in creating a role for Meryl Streep. They were joking with me, "Oh, look at you, Liane. You've become so Hollywood! You're on the phone saying, Get me Meryl!" So we were all just laughing about it. But then, a few months later, I got a text message saying, "We got you Meryl."

It was an unbelievable career highlight: That I asked for Meryl and got Meryl.

If they had written the Mary-Louise role and it was nothing to do with me, even if she was wonderful, I don't think I would have felt I could put her in my book. She wouldn't have felt like she belonged to me. But because she still felt like my Mary-Louise, even though she was created for the show, and because people loved her so much, I put her in the [second] book. And of course, because I'd written her always with Meryl Streep in mind, I never saw any version of her except as Meryl.

MC: You published Big Little Lies 12 years ago. Are the characters in Big Little Truths exactly 12 years older now?

LM: I'm calling it a decade.

MC: The series hadn't come out when I first read the first book [when it was published in 2014]. But when I read this book, I imagined a lot of those characters as the actors who played them. As you were writing the sequel, how did you imagine those characters? From the show, from the first book, or a combination?

LM: I think they became morphed versions—except for Renata, because Renata played such a small role in the first book. And Laura Dern made that character her own—even though she was so much more attractive than my imagined Renata! So I allowed Laura Dern to just take over.

But with the other three, I kept seeing my original characters. So, for example, my Madeline had dark hair. Obviously, Madeline [on-screen, played by Reese Witherspoon] had blonde hair. And so I made a point of not mentioning her hair, because I knew readers would be doing that same thing.

And I could tell I was letting the actors into my head a bit. I had a line where Celeste's talking to Jane, and Jane says, "You can't hide behind a bush because you're too tall." And I thought, "Oh, that's your scene, Nicole [Kidman], now," because I don't think I ever particularly made a point of [Celeste's height].

I always make a point with other books: I'm not thinking of a potential adaptation at all. But with Big Little Truths, I wanted to own the fact that the show affected my writing.

MC: You mentioned Laura Dern. Renata had a role in the first book—but it's so magnified in the second book.

LM: Just because I loved Laura's portrayal so much. In a way, it was annoying because I have too many characters in my books, and readers find it hard to keep track of them. I know readers, and I do understand that. So ideally I would not have had Renata playing such a big role—but Laura just took over, and I could not resist.

MC: And in the second book, Renata has the same impact on the narrative as she does in the show. She stomps in and makes her presence known.

LM: I should give credit there to not just Laura Dern, but to David E. Kelly, who gave Laura Dern so many wonderful lines.

MC: When it came to the first book, you've said that the inspiration came from a few different sources. A friend who attended an Audrey and Elvis trivia night; another friend who found bite marks on her kid's arm. What inspired the sequel's themes?

LM: I'd actually started writing another book set in a high school with different characters. I'd written two or three chapters of that—and that probably would have been a different book.

But then, all this talk—Should there be a Big Little Lies sequel? There would always be surges of interest in it. And it came up again that they really wanted to do a new season of Big Little Lies. And that's when I suddenly thought, "I could give that storyline to the Big Little Lies world."

But I can still remember those first few chapters. I remember those characters.

MC: One throughline of Big Little Truths is about the sandwich generation—squeezed by the needs of both your parents and your children. The mothers are 10 years older than in the first book, so they have teenagers, and some have aging parents. Do you feel like you've grown up with them?

LM: It's a throughline in all my books. My first book [Three Wishes] was written in my early 30s, and the characters were in their early 30s. All my characters have just gotten older along with me. And other authors, like Margaret Drabble—as I was reading her books, I was realizing that the characters are getting older. So I'm just doing exactly the same thing.

I remember reading books when I was in my 30s and reading about women in their 50s and thinking, "Oh, that's interesting." They're still sort of real. As in, that they still have a rich inner life—a woman in her 50s. And I think—obviously I would never have said that out loud—but I think I subconsciously thought, "They're just sort of blobby people."

My mother is in her early 80s. She had me when she was 24. You always feel, "I'm catching up to her." I can clearly remember her 60th birthday. And now my 60th birthday is coming up. All my school friends and I, we all can't believe we're turning 60. It's hilarious that we're turning 60. And I find that fascinating. I find women in their 60s fascinating. So now I'll keep writing about them.

MC: I know you likely can't share much about Big Little Lies season 3, but are you excited?

LM: I am excited. I don't think there's anything to share yet—but it'll be based on this book. And it's by the writer of Mr & Mrs Smith [on Prime Video], Francesca Sloane. She'll do her own thing with this book. She'll make it fit with the last two seasons. I'll be interested in seeing it; I quite enjoy seeing some plots that I have nothing to do with. Because then I'm just watching as a viewer. Whereas, if they're sticking to my plot, then I'm thinking, "Oh, no, that's not quite right."

I always joke about this: In the first scene of Big Little Lies, Madeline does her ankle. And when I first saw it, I thought, "No, that's not how you do your ankle." Because I'm always doing my ankle, and my ankle flips in this particular direction—and [Reese Witherspoon] flipped forward. It's of no consequence. But if I did allow myself to be really involved, that's when I'd be saying, "Reese, your ankle flips like this." [Laughs] Which is why it's good that I'm very hands-off.

MC: The books and the show are such different and incredible products, in many ways.

LM: I think that's the way to look at it. I think some people think, "Oh, but it's not the same as your book." Or, "I hope they don't change your book." And I always say, "But nobody can change my book. There's my book, and there's your experience of reading the book. Which is a tiny bit different in every single person's experience."

This interview has been condensed and edited.

In Marie Claire's Meet Cute, we have a chance encounter with pop culture's latest man crush.

As I write this, Owen Thiele is getting dressed for Taylor Swift’s wedding.

The actor and podcast host admits he is “delighted and terrified” at the prospect of attending the Event of the Century™, which is the appropriate emotional combo meal for a rising star like Thiele. (“You pronounce it thee-uhl,” he says kindly when we first meet in a low-key but perfect Greek place called Kyma in Manhattan.)

Born in Texas and raised in Hollywood, Mr. Thee-uhl has the kind, firefly-bright eyes of a favorite English teacher and the wit of a Jane Austen heroine. He can speak with easy fluency about underrated pop albums, overrated restaurants, and the joy of randomly seeing your cousin at Erewhon. On TikTok and Instagram, he makes jokes about being a “diversity hire” while running circles around other online comedians. A current bit includes getting salsa lessons from Maluma; another video shows him hyping up his “outfit of the day” without knowing where any of his clothes actually come from. Whether online or on television, Thiele somehow manages to exude the vibe of someone you really want to hang out with. Celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter and, of course, Swift herself already do. For the rest of us, there is plenty of Thiele on-screen lately.

Currently, Thiele stars as Anton, the compassionately cool goof in Adults, FX’s deadpan take on Gen Z living that’s about to release its second season. The 29-year-old Scorpio has had laugh-out-loud turns in the TV shows Hacks and Overcompensating, and wildly fun indie films like Theater Camp and Idiotka. He also hosts "In Your Dreams," a podcast on Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network that draws a rotating cast of internet-famous and Hollywood-adjacent guests. It’s broadcast from a bed surrounded by Y2K fan collages—Hannah Montana! Lizzie McGuire! Camp Rock!—and includes occasional interruptions from Jared Ellner, the celebrity stylist who is also Thiele’s longtime partner.

Through Ellner, Thiele has learned “how to chill out a little bit” and how private and public dynamics don’t need to be reconciled. “Everyone who sees us together thinks I’m the talker,” he says as we settle into a lunchtime booth. “But what you’d never know is that when it’s just us, he is the talker! I’m pretty quiet, I swear.” Ellner has also guided Thiele on how to dress for a pop mogul’s wedding (he wore a crisp black Saint Laurent tuxedo with a satin cummerbund to the Swift-Kelce nuptials) and that “the fashion world is way scarier than Hollywood.”

Thiele has something of a home court advantage when it comes to stardom: He was raised by prolific music producers; his grandfather is responsible for the 1967 hit “What a Wonderful World.” (“My middle name, Louis, is actually for Louis Armstrong, who sung the song.”) One of Thiele’s second cousins is the storied comedian Bob Balaban; another is, somehow, Jodie Foster’s child. (“We don’t really get into it,” Thiele says cheerily.) From the ages of 6 through 17, Thiele attended Crossroads, the L.A. nepo-hub that has educated all manner of elite, from the outstanding (Kate Hudson, Maude Apatow, Maya Rudolph) to the frightening (Spencer Pratt). “Am I a nepo baby, too?” Thiele asks as we devour the watermelon salad we swore we weren’t hungry enough to eat. “I mean, people call me one and maybe it’s true. But it’s also more complicated than that.”

Here’s what Thiele means by “complicated:” Adopted at birth by a white Jewish family, Thiele grew up affluent and “obsessed” with his parents. (“I think I would have literally jumped off the tallest building if I had to share my parents’ affection with anyone!” he exclaims.) Their house was also “the party house” for holidays, birthdays, and rollicking backyard barbecues, where “a revolving door of people were constantly coming in…I truly had the most wonderful childhood.”

Thiele credits his parents’ thriving social life with early training in both friendship and social graces. He also notes that they surrounded him early with “Black role models” like the punk musician Justin Warfield, and “queer role models” like his aunt Sid. Still, it’s not easy being the only Black kid at Rosh Hashanah in Beverly Hills. “Now I can laugh about it,” says Thiele, “but as a kid, I was going to a white woman in Beverly Hills and asking her for a blowout! That’s not exactly hardship, but it’s strange.”

When I ask if Thiele follows conversations about transracial adoption on social media, including adoptees who have spoken critically about separation from their families of origin, Thiele shakes his head. “I can’t speak for anyone else’s experience, but I have chills thinking about my parents, in the best way.” He speaks of a recent encounter with his mom’s best friend. “She told me, ‘Owen, I don't know if I believe in God, but once when I look at you and your parents, I believe someone's up there.’ And literally, I feel the same way. It was so meant to be, so that's the beautiful part.”

He takes a breath. “The not beautiful part is that as a kid, I was asking for a side-part in my dreadlocks and nobody was saying, ‘Hey, maybe there’s something else we can do.’” The actor says that as he got older, “I realized the full extent of being a Black man in America. I thought, ‘Oh god, I have to take this seriously…I’m not a tiny little white girl walking around my neighborhood.’ When people would look at me funny when I was walking in Beverly Hills, I realized, ‘Wait, they think I’m, like, plotting a burglary!’ Which was just so dark and sad and scary.” He admits he is “still processing this wakeup call” and the way his racial and queer identities intersect with the Hollywood world that shaped him.

Partly to suss all this out, and partly because fish-out-of-water narratives are the protein on the sitcom food pyramid, Thiele is currently developing an autobiographical Prime Video scripted series, Off Color, with Broad City co-creator Ilana Glazer. “I met her when I was still really young, like 24,” says Thiele. “I was so ready to jump into the comedy scene and she was ready to accept me.”

Before they can dig into the new material, however, Thiele has a heap of current work on his plate that would make any actor—much less “a certified NYU dropout like me!” as he gleefully exclaims—swell with pride and cower in stress. Currently, it’s trying to “promote the fuck” out of Adults, which comes back for season 2 on August 27. “In Hollywood, there’s this saying that you never know if a project is going to work until it’s done. But I swear, with Adults, you could see it on the page. [Series creators] Ben Kronegold and Rebecca Shaw are such good writers…and then once we were cast, they integrated parts of us into the show. I knew from the first day on set that it would be amazing.”

But building the Adults audience took some time, and after season 1’s debut, Thiele says he waited over six months to be called back to the Toronto set. “It was very anxiety-inducing and very emotional for us, because we wanted to be back so badly! We love each other! And I found myself questioning my instincts for the first time. I was like, ‘This show is so funny. If it didn’t hit, does that mean my sense of what’s good is just off?’”

It was not. Season 2 of Adults filmed from December 2025 to May 2026, and Thiele reports that the FX network “gave us complete creative freedom” to make the comedy they wanted to see in the world. Meanwhile, both The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter noted Thiele’s performance for its warmth and—in Gen Z parlance—yearning. In fact, one of the new season’s funniest plots focuses on Thiele’s Anton, a hyper-popular but secretly lonely city kid who can make friends with anyone, coaching a grieving boomer parent (played by Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Susie Essman) through basic Facebook etiquette. An oft-referenced season 1 storyline saw Anton become besties with a new neighbor who turns out to be a serial killer.

“This would absolutely happen to me!” Thiele admits in a fit of laughter. “But I think Anton befriends everyone because he’s really terrified of being alone, but totally unable to be vulnerable with other people. And I would do it because I’m kind of the opposite. I’m so open that I want everyone to be just as open with me!...I’m constantly trying to get other people to explain what makes them tick.” This is an easy sentence to fact check. At least four times in the span of our interview, Thiele interrupts himself to ask me what I think, how I feel, or if either of us should “just fuck it and get bangs” (no) or “just fuck it and get french fries” (yes).

That easy familiarity is also pushing Thiele’s second current project, the "In Your Dreams" podcast, into cult hit territory, as evidenced by increasingly A-list guests like Lizzo and Suki Waterhouse. He says when Alex Cooper of "Call Her Daddy" fame first approached him about doing a show, he was worried he wouldn’t have enough material. “I just rambled into the camera, and Alex was like, ‘No, Owen, put that out. Exactly that.’ I was worried it was gonna rot people’s brains because it’s just me telling stories and getting other people to tell stories. But in this age of AI, being human is the opposite of what’s gonna rot our brains. Being human is kind of the solution to that…And the big part of being human is being interested. Computers can’t be excited to hear from you.”

But Thiele cannot worry about future computer overlords because he is filming season 2 of Overcompensating, a college comedy set in 2010 about a queer athlete (Benito Skinner) coming out of the closet. Thiele plays George, an “elder” (read: upperclass) gay hot kid who tries, often disastrously, to coax Skinner onto the Yellow Brick Road. “I based the whole character on Raven Symoné in That’s So Raven,” Thiele says with a grin. “The coolest queer mentor ever on TV!” After Overcompensating, it’s on to Peaked, a comedy from Thiele’s Theater Camp co-star Molly Gordon about badly behaved grown-ups at a high school reunion.

And of course, there is the T. Swift wedding. Thiele and Ellner were invited “the old-fashioned way,” he says—meaning, “she said ‘you’re coming to my wedding’ when she cooked us a beautiful meal” of flaky white fish and rice pilaf. “She's an unbelievable chef,” Thiele insists, “to the point where Jared looked at her and said, ‘Are you hiding a chef in a closet?’ She was like, ‘No, I cooked it.’ She’s kind of one of those girls that’s good at everything, you know? Like those girls from high school?...She’s even funny, genuinely funny. And I work in comedy, so I don’t think anyone is funny. I think she can do literally everything.”

That includes talent spotting. Swift cast Thiele in two of his first-ever roles—as a pool party bestie in the 2019 music video for “You Need to Calm Down,” then again as a fellow office bro in “The Man”—before he began blowing up. “I met her at an agency party, and she’d seen Eighty Sixed, which was a web comedy I did—the only thing I’d really done!” Swift got his number and texted him about the videos, which led Thiele to believe he was getting scammed. “Yeah, right, Taylor Swift is texting me. But she was.” Thiele says he found out when the video hit YouTube because of her fans. “The tags. The mentions. My phone died.”

I ask Thiele if he would like the level of success that leads people, one day soon, to track his own friendships with the zeal of a parasocial executive secretary. “Oh gosh, no,” Thiele says, and his eyes say he really means it. “I think of fame as Lindsay Lohan; always getting chased and having to be so intentional about finding your peace.” He mentions that last year, Hailey Bieber came on "In Your Dreams," “and two days later, there are still paparazzi outside of my house looking for her. She handles it all with such grace. I…would not.”

I ask Thiele what he means. “Well, first of all,” he says conspiratorially, “I would ask the paparazzi’s names. Then I would make them sit down with me and explain how they became a paparazzo. If it was affecting their mental health. Why they wanted to take pictures of famous people, you know? They wouldn’t get anything done. I would just keep them talking.”

Every few months, a new season of Love Is Blind arrives on Netflix like clockwork. (Every month if you count the many international versions.) While the main U.S. series is between seasons, Love Is Blind: UK swoops in to provide the same controversial formula with different regional accents and societal nuances. With the help of gorgeous European filming locations and hosting couple Matt and Emma Willis, LIB: UK historically gives viewers a bit more of an earnest, mature ride than the chaos the U.S. seasons have provided. (Just a bit, as mess is inherent to the reality hit's formula.)

For its third season, premiered on Wednesday, August 19, Love Is Blind: UK has recruited a diverse cohort of primarily England-based singles in their late 20s and early 30s, per Tudum. A whopping eight(!) episodes dropped on premiere day, setting up a sure-to-be-dramatic August 26 finale and August 30 reunion. Below, read on to learn more about the cast of Love Is Blind: UK season 3, including which couples made it out of the pods.

Your Guide to the Cast of 'Love Is Blind' Season 3

The Women of 'Love Is Blind: UK' Season 3

Chevanique, 29

Instagram: @chevanique_t

Location: Birmingham, England

Occupation: Sexual health nurse

Backstory: Her last relationship started over the phone during the pandemic and lasted five years.

Motto: "I want my eggs cracked. I need my name dropped. I need a hubby."

Gets Engaged? No, but she's part of a love triangle with Joseph and Francesca.

Ciara, 29

Instagram: @ciaramurphyldn

Location: London, England

Occupation: Pilates instructor

Backstory: She's been cheated on in all of her past relationships.

Motto: "I have expensive taste, but I'm worth the investment."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Ajay.

Cuba, 29

Instagram: @cubariggs

Location: London, England

Occupation: Yoga and fitness instructor

Backstory: She was previously engaged, but left her fiancé after discovering he was cheating on her.

Motto: "I have some soul connections with my best friends, but I do wanna find that romantically as well."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Ryan.

Faye, 28

Instagram: @fayedomaille

Location: London, England

Occupation: Executive assistant

Backstory: Her last serious relationship happened when she was a teenager.

Motto: "I need someone who's gonna be my cheerleader, because I am not about a man putting me down."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Jack.

Francesca, 29

Instagram: @francescaemmanuel_

Location: London, England

Occupation: HR associate

Backstory: She says her dad is her gold standard for men.

Motto: "Dating is awful. I hate it. I don't use dating apps."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Joseph.

Hannah, 27

Instagram: @hannahlouissee

Location: Leeds, England

Occupation: Chartered accountant

Backstory: She's a self-proclaimed "daddy's girl," and he helped create her Hinge profile.

Motto: "I'm a black cat, but I'm not looking for a golden retriever. I want a Doberman—a loyal, strong man who is committed to me."

Gets Engaged? No.

Katie, 30

Instagram: @katiejlinsky

Location: Doncaster, England

Occupation: Project manager

Backstory: She's a single mom with a 7-year-old son.

Motto: "I've put my heart into being a mum, and now I'm ready to share it with someone else."

Gets Engaged? No.

Komel, 34

Instagram: @komelwaqar

Location: Glasgow, Scotland

Occupation: Senior finance officer

Motto: "I'm easy going but a bit chaotic. I've lost my phone three times in the past year!"

Gets Engaged? No.

Lydia, 31

Instagram: @lydiaejames

Location: Cardiff, Wales

Occupation: Senior product manager

Motto: "There is no romance in dating apps. Swiping based on looks—it's giving nothing."

Gets Engaged? No.

Monum, 29

Instagram: @monumsabirrr

Location: Bury, England

Occupation: Audiologist

Backstory: She's a hobbyist and spends her spare time reading, crocheting, and thrifting.

Motto: "I believe in the law of attraction. I'm certainly trying to manifest my husband."

Gets Engaged? No.

Neive, 27

Instagram: @neivexo

Location: Perth, Scotland

Occupation: Luxury car salesperson

Backstory: She dumped her last boyfriend because he was always going out instead of spending time with her.

Motto: "If my ideal man was a car, he'd be a Mercedes G-Wagon. Big, strong—he'd do the work and be fun to look at."

Gets Engaged? No.

Sammy, 33

Instagram: @sammy.harper_

Location: Manchester, England

Occupation: Wellbeing coach and entrepreneur

Backstory: She's a trained opera singer.

Motto: "I'm looking for an alpha male to lead a family and make decisions."

Gets Engaged? No.

Sophie, 27

Instagram: @sophietregaskiss

Location: Greater Manchester, England

Occupation: Operations team leader

Backstory: Her previous relationship began when she was 19 and lasted seven years.

Motto: "I don't know how to date. I haven't been on a date since I was 18."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Taylor.

Yasmin, 32

Instagram: @yasmeenstagram_

Location: London, England

Occupation: Physician associate

Backstory: She has mixed Ghanaian, Egyptian, and Lebanese heritage. She also has vitiligo and has never had an "official boyfriend."

Motto: "I've got a lot of love to give, and I'm just ready to find the right person to give it to."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Jordan.

Zelania, 29

Instagram: @zelaniaaaa

Location: London, England

Occupation: Marketing manager

Backstory: Her last relationship ended when her partner moved to Australia out of nowhere.

Motto: "If I can find my husband here and our children can watch it back, I'd be living my own rom-com."

Gets Engaged? No.

The Men of 'Love Is Blind: UK' Season 3

Ajay, 33

Instagram: @ajaycheema

Location: London, England

Occupation: Fitness coach

Backstory: He's a former basketball player who left a banking career to pursue travel and fitness.

Motto: "I've spent the last 10 months living in Australia, and now I'm ready to settle down."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Ciara.

Alex, 33

Instagram: @alexbegyinah

Location: Birmingham, England

Occupation: Business development manager

Backstory: He's half Ghanaian and half Sri Lankan. After his parents' separation, he's determined to get married only once.

Motto: "I'm not a player. I find it difficult to juggle different girls. I'm a lover boy."

Gets Engaged? No.

Blue, 32

Instagram: @blue.braithwaite

Location: London, England

Occupation: Plasterer

Motto: "I would prioritise my wife. I'll cook, I'll clean—I'll even put your knickers in the wash!"

Gets Engaged? No.

George, 32

Instagram: @georgemorgan_1303

Location: Derby, England

Occupation: Bank relationship manager and wine bar owner

Backstory: He was with his last partner for 10 years, but he broke things off before they got married.

Motto: "I'll keep you interested and on your toes. You won't get bored of me."

Gets Engaged? No.

Jack, 30

Instagram: @jackbradshaw

Location: Cornwall, England

Occupation: Chef at the U.K.'s only beach club

Backstory: His previous long-term relationship ended when his ex moved away.

Motto: "I know I'm not going to be everybody's cup of tea, but I'm one of a kind."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Faye.

Jacob, 32

Location: Colchester, England

Occupation: Business owner

Backstory: He broke up with his previous girlfriend of seven years after they moved in together and lost their spark.

Motto: "I don't believe in gender roles. Merge that energy and unite as one couple."

Gets Engaged? No

Jonathan, 32

Instagram: @jonharrold

Location: Hertfordshire, England

Occupation: Tech recruiter

Backstory: He's the youngest of five children and a self-proclaimed "mummy's boy."

Motto: "If you're a short king like me, it's tough. This will take the pressure off."

Gets Engaged? No.

Jordan, 29

Location: Birmingham, England

Occupation: Teacher

Backstory: Though he's ex-military, he's willing to put his favorite hobby, exercise, aside to raise a family.

Motto: "My granddad met my nan on waltzers. The love they had is the love I'm looking for."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Yasmin.

Joseph, 33

Instagram: @josephsubuola

Location: London, England

Occupation: Senior project manager

Backstory: He's a "committed Christian," and his guilty pleasure is anime.

Motto: "The only thing that's missing from my life is a wife."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Francesca.

Luke, 29

Instagram: @lukeawats

Location: Doncaster, England

Occupation: Planning officer

Backstory: He's been single his whole adult life, and his Jamaican family is pressuring him to settle down.

Motto: "I've had flings, but I'm tired of it—and my mum is tired of hearing about it! I want to find the one."

Gets Engaged? No.

Met, 35

Instagram: @metemir

Location: London, England

Occupation: Technology recruiter

Backstory: His parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew all live just 10 minutes away.

Motto: "My parents have been married for 40 years. They've set a blueprint for what I want."

Gets Engaged? No.

Mike, 32

Instagram: @mikejamesmitchell

Location: Preston, England

Occupation: Teaching assistant

Backstory: All of his previous relationships ended at the three-year mark, mostly due to the unpredictability of his former military life.

Motto: "I'm the only one in the group chat not married. It's wedding season, and I keep showing up by myself!"

Gets Engaged? No.

Ryan, 33

Instagram: @ryanlewisroberts

Location: Manchester, England

Occupation: Public speaker and entrepreneur

Backstory: He doesn’t own a television and hasn’t watched TV in 15 years.

Motto: "I don't enjoy surface-level connections. I'm looking for a deeper connection."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Cuba.

Si, 36

Instagram: @sibucknell

Location: Gloucestershire, England

Occupation: Motorsport technician

Motto: "I love hard because if anything's worth doing, it's worth doing right."

Gets Engaged? No.

Taylor, 31

Instagram: @taylorburgen93

Location: Hertfordshire, England

Occupation: Head of sales

Backstory: He was with his last girlfriend for seven years and often compares new flings to his ex.

Motto: "Even though I come across all cocky, I'm the biggest softie you'll ever meet."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Sophie.

Calling all period-drama fans: Netflix's My Brilliant Career introduces your new favorite heroine. Out on August 13, the new Australian series adapts one of the country's seminal books, the titular 1901 semi-autobiographical novel written by then-21-year-old Miles Franklin. It follows Sybylla Melvyn, the daughter of a poor rural family who's sent to live with her wealthy grandmother in hopes of finding a rich husband. The rebellious writer is determined to build a fulfilling life outside of society's expectations, but her convictions are tested when she accidentally falls in love.

Since its debut, showrunner Liz Doran's adaptation has become a word-of-mouth hit, with countless fans falling for star Philippa Northeast's performance as the headstrong feminist heroine. Now that the Australian actress is on the verge of a major global breakout, read on to learn more about Philippa Northeast, from her early career to her special connection to Sybylla.

Everything to Know About Philippa Northeast

Philippa Northeast is an Australian actress who started her career in soap operas.

Philippa Northeast, 31, was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, where she grew up with four siblings. Northeast first became interested in acting as a teenager, but not as a career; she had planned to study criminology at the University of Melbourne. Instead, after her first term at the university, she got the chance to audition for Home and Away, the iconic soap opera that launched the careers of actors like Naomi Watts and Chris Hemsworth.

"I moved out of home for the first time, went to Sydney, and suddenly had a full-time job," she told RUSSH Magazine of joining the series at 18. "It felt like an apprenticeship. I was working, but I was also figuring out how to live."

After starring as Evelyn MacGuire on Home and Away from 2013 to 2017, Northeast went on to appear in Australian shows and movies like Standing Up for Sunny, The Newsreader, Paper Dolls, and The Family Next Door. She also crossed over to the U.S. with starring roles in the 2022 Hallmark movie A Royal Runaway Romance and the CW series Good Cop/Bad Cop. Netflix fans may recognize her most for playing Susie Lawson in the 2024 country series Territory.

Philippa Northeast's boyfriend stars in one of TV's most cult-loved shows.

It turns out that Northeast is one-half of an Australian acting power couple. The My Brilliant Career star has been in a relationship with The Vampire Lestat star Sam Reid since at least 2018, at least according to her Instagram. The pair co-starred in the rom-com Standing Up for Sunny in 2019, so it seems that they fell for each other while filming. (Northeast and Reid later reunited onscreen in seasons 2 and 3 of The Newsreader.)

Reid is notoriously private and off social media, so the pair haven't said much about their relationship publicly since they made their red-carpet debut in 2019. In 2025, Northeast gave some rare details in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald. She told the outlet that she and her partner (who she declined to name) share a pup named Rani and split their time between Sydney, Australia, and a farm in a rural community southeast of the city.

"She is our everything, and the hardest thing to be away from when we’re working," Northeast said of Rani. She added about her relationship, "We keep the personal details of our life pretty quiet, because it’s just for us."

Philippa Northeast thinks 'My Brilliant Career' is a "vital" story among "reversals of women’s rights around the world."

While promoting My Brilliant Career, Northeast has praised the series for telling a feminist story at a time when women's rights have been challenged worldwide.

"I feel so proud we’re putting this story out right now," she said in an interview with ELLE Australia. "We are seeing reversals of women’s rights around the world. It is a pretty fragile political space in a lot of countries. A story like this, told in the way we are telling it, is vital—especially for young women coming through and realising that there is still a need to fight for your own independence and agency. It’s not a matter of sitting back and hoping these things will come to you."

Northeast also opened up about relating to the character, as someone who also pursued their dream career at a young age.

"Because I came into acting in an unconventional way, there was always a part of my mind asking when this path was going to run out,” she explained. “Doing Sybylla lit a creative fire within me. There will be ebbs and flows, but now I know who I am as a creative. Sybylla really gave me my voice."

In a busy year for new coming-of-age shows, Sterling Point is the biggest surprise on this side of the pond. (Shout-out to The Other Bennet Sister). Created by My Old Ass filmmaker Megan Park, the new Prime Video hit is a soapy yet heartfelt drama about a pair of sisters who discover life-changing secrets about their family—including each other's existence—during an idyllic Muskoka summer.

Since its debut on August 5, Sterling Point has become a word-of-mouth hit, with critics penning rave reviews and fans begging for Annie and Ramona's stories to continue. Thankfully, Park already has ideas for where the series could go next. Read on for everything we know about Sterling Point's future so far.

Everything We Know About 'Sterling Point' Season 2

Has 'Sterling Point' been renewed for season 2?

Time to book your flight to Cabin Country! Just two weeks after Sterling Point premiered, Prime Video renewed it for a second season. Deadline announced the news and shared a statement from creator Megan Park. "It’s been an absolute joy to see the appreciation and love for the show," she said. "We worked so hard to make the show as authentic as possible and to see audiences respond to that has been thrilling. We cannot wait to dive deeper into these characters and deliver the best second season ever."

Co-showrunners and executive producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage also shared a joint statement. They said, "It’s been incredible to watch audiences fall in love with Sterling Point in the way we did while making it...It’s truly a testament to Megan Park, our amazing cast, crew, Amazon, and all of our partners, who put so much of themselves into the show. We can’t wait to be back in Muskoka and for everyone to see what we have in store for Annie, Ramona and the rest of the crew for season 2."

With its high score on Rotten Tomatoes, word-of-mouth success, and viral TikTok fame, it makes sense that more episodes were quickly ordered. That's not to mention that Park had hoped to continue the story. While speaking to the Los Angeles Times before the show was officially renewed, she said, "I have a whole bunch of ideas left, so we shall see."

The series creator added, "There’s a lot between these two young women having now experienced each other’s lives fully that is going to be really interesting to explore and pick up, hopefully, if we get the chance to." We're so glad that they've gotten that chance—and that we'll get to watch more, soon enough!

When will 'Sterling Point' season 2 be released?

A season 2 release date has yet to be announced. However, it's worth noting that even though Prime Video has a packed YA slate, it seems to move quickly on production. For instance, Every Year After season 2 is currently in pre-production after its late-June renewal, and Off Campus started filming its sophomore season just days after its May debut.

In general, shows like Sterling Point do tend to have a quick turnaround for filming. According to IMDb, season 1 was filmed between late June and early October 2025, before its August 2026 premiere. However, there's also the cast's schedules to consider. Notably, Ella Rubin is already set to star in Netflix's TV adaptation of The God of the Woods, which is currently filming in upstate New York.

Knowing all of the above, viewers may have to wait a bit before new episodes of Sterling Point land on our screens—especially if it continues to be set during the summer. While Park may have ideas where season 2 would go, the team will still need to write what's next, and may not enter production until next spring. Everything is still up in the air, though, so we'll keep an eye out for potential production timelines.

Which of the cast members will return for 'Sterling Point' season 2?

The entire main cast will likely return for a season 2. This includes Ella Rubin (Annie Jacobson), Amélie Hoeferle (Ramona), Keen Ruffalo (Connor Jacobson), Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie (Ellis), Daniel Quinn-Toye (Rory), Bo Bragason (Oona), Mabel Strachan (Maple), Nikko Angelo Hinayo (Sully), Missi Pyle (Denise), Jay Duplass (Steven), and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Joe).

Though it's still very early days, Park has revealed that one minor character from season 1 could get a bigger role in new episodes. Speaking to Deadline, Park said that she'd love to do more with Clem, Annie's New York friend from episode 5, played by Ginny & Georgia star Katie Douglas.

"The whole day I was like, if we do a season 2, we have to bring this character back. She’s so good, and their dynamic was hilarious, and [Katie] could really improv spar so well with Ella," Park told the outlet. "So much of that stuff in the bathroom was just them doing their own thing. It was so funny, but she was incredible. I was just blown away by her, and I’m dying to work with her on, if not a season 2, something else. She’s so talented."

Is 'Sterling Point' based on a book?

Sterling Point is an outlier among Prime Video's beloved teen dramas. Unlike The Summer I Turned Pretty, We Were Liars, and other shows, Sterling Point isn't a book-to-TV adaptation. The new hit is an entirely original story from the mind of Park, who was inspired by her personal upbringing, from her childhood summers in Muskoka to her relatives' experiences with adoption.

"I thought it was an interesting idea to explore, nature versus nurture," Park told the LA Times. "I come from a family where there’s a lot of adoption, and I had also never really seen a character like Annie where they were adopted and they didn’t have the desire to seek out their biological family, and that was just something they were fine with. That’s been an experience of a lot of people in my family. Oftentimes, [we see] stories about you know people wanting to find their biological family. Both of them exist, but I hadn’t seen the latter in a lot of things. I was excited to explore that."

What will 'Sterling Point' season 2 be about?

Sterling Point ends its first season with some big changes for the Jacobson family. Newly discovered sisters Annie and Ramona have essentially switched lives, with Annie deciding to stay on the fictional island while Ramona moves to N.Y.C. to spend time with her biological dad, Steven. Meanwhile, after searching for his birth family behind Annie's back, Connor learns that his birth mother is willing to meet him. Viewers are left wondering whether Connor will tell Annie about their mother, whether Annie or Ramona will eventually decide to sell Sterling Point after all, and who the romantic endgames are among the cast. (Romance isn't central to Sterling Point's story, but come on, it's still a teen show.)

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Park teased the many cliffhangers and mysteries that the show could explore in season 2. "There’s a lot of mommy and daddy issues being threaded throughout the show. There’s a lot there," she said.

"Season 1, you do spend a lot of time setting up the world, and then I do almost feel like if you get a season 2, it’s when you relax and go deeper," Park continued. "[Ramona and Annie] switch lives, so there’s a lot for a second season to come back to. And then there’s also the whole thing about when Ramona turns 18, what’s gonna happen with the property?"

Park has also revealed that Sterling Point may include a time jump, in the vein of shows like TSITP that pick up every summer. However, it's not set in stone; the creator told The Wrap that she still had to discuss it with co-showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage

"It’s such a great summer show—it’d be fun to pick it up like the following summer and kind of see…what these young women have gone through in the past year," she told the outlet.

Not everyone in Hollywood makes awards history—let alone twice. Director Salli Richardson-Whitfield, however, became the first Black woman to receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2024, and this year, she became the first Black woman to receive two nominations in the category. At the forthcoming awards ceremony, the director/executive producer is being recognized for her efforts helming episodes of the acclaimed, Mark Ruffalo-led crime series Task and the cult-loved period drama The Gilded Age.

While Richardson-Whitfield has worked on many hits—from Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty to Dear White People to Altered Carbon—she originally got her start as an actress. Thanks to encouragement from supporters and collaborators like Ava DuVernay (whose first feature, I Will Follow, Richardson-Whitfield starred in), she was inspired to get behind the camera and eventually transition her career. Now, the filmmaker, who has a creative partnership with HBO, is frequently hailed for breaking the glass ceiling in TV.

Still, even as the number of female TV creators is higher than ever, they only make up 32 percent of directors in the field. So, in anticipation of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14, Richardson-Whitfield shared an essay with Marie Claire about her journey toward becoming a director—and the value in trusting yourself.

The first audience I ever directed for was my family, gathered on the living room couch. I couldn't have been more than 8-years-old. My dolls were lined up, each with a role to play. I'd spent the afternoon writing another version of Cinderella, carefully stapling the pages into tiny handmade books that I proudly handed out before the performance began.

Then I took my place behind the story. I thought I was just playing. I wasn't trying to be Cinderella. I wanted to tell the story. I just didn't know that one day, I would spend my life doing exactly that.

People often ask me how I became successful. They want to know whether I always dreamed of directing television, whether I had a master plan, or whether I somehow knew that one day I would make history. The truth is much simpler: I learned to trust something inside myself.

Growing up in Hyde Park on Chicago's South Side, I often felt as though I didn't quite belong. My parents sacrificed so I could attend an exceptional private school filled with brilliant students who would go on to become doctors, lawyers, and scientists. I lived in the neighborhood, but in its least desirable building. My father was white, and my mother was Black, at a time when that still made our family seem different. I struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia while trying to keep up in an environment where academic excellence appeared effortless for everyone else.

From the outside, I looked confident. I was athletic, outgoing, and, by most standards, beautiful. Inside, I constantly wondered whether I was enough. Not smart enough. Not accomplished enough. Not worthy enough. There were plenty of voices reinforcing those insecurities—the voices of comparison, expectation, fear, and sometimes my own self-doubt.

Thankfully, there was always something else inside me: A sense that I should keep going. That there was a purpose for me even when I couldn't see what it was.

My parents weren't perfect, but they gave me two gifts that shaped my life: an unwavering work ethic and a strong sense of right and wrong. Those gifts became my compass. I made mistakes, as we all do, but somehow I never wandered too far from the path. Something inside me kept pulling me forward.

Acting became my first path because it was what I loved and what I knew I could do. It led me from Chicago to California, despite all the reasons I should be practical, have a backup plan, or accept that the odds were impossible. Logic said to stay where it was safe. Something inside me said, Go. So I went.

Years later, while starring on Eureka, I was given the opportunity to direct an episode. Looking back, I realize it wasn't merely the beginning of my directing career. It was the moment I recognized the life I had unknowingly been preparing for all along.

A couple of hours into my first day on set, the producing director walked over to me. I was still absorbing the responsibility of leading an entire crew while quietly wondering whether I truly belonged there. He smiled and said, "You've got this."

Then he left. Just like that. I remember standing there, almost stunned. He trusted me enough to leave the set in my hands.

In that moment, I had a choice. I could listen to all the reasons I wasn't ready, or I could trust the instinct that simply said, Tell the story. So I did. I didn't panic. I didn't second-guess myself. I simply told the story the way I believed it needed to be told.

That day changed everything. Not only because someone else believed in me, but because, for the first time in my professional life, I believed in myself.

As an actress, I was good. I had a career I loved, but I was never fearless. I believe great actors must be willing to look foolish in pursuit of something truthful, and I was often too focused on getting it right.

As a director, something entirely different happened. I trusted my instincts. I trusted my vision. I trusted myself. Directing felt less like learning a new job and more like remembering something I had always known. For the first time, I wasn't searching for confidence. I had found it. That confidence didn't make me complacent. It made me work even harder.

Actors are sometimes given the opportunity to direct because they're already on a television show. I wanted everyone around me to understand that this wasn't a vanity project or simply another credit I intended to collect. I wanted to earn that chair. I prepared relentlessly. I asked every question I could think of. I studied every detail because I never wanted anyone to believe I had been handed an opportunity I wasn't prepared to honor.

Years later, when I decided to transition from acting to directing full-time, those same people remembered. On paper, my résumé wasn't always the strongest. I hadn't gone to film school, and I hadn't followed the traditional path. There were people with more experience, more credits, and certainly more formal education. But the people who had watched me work knew something a résumé couldn't tell them. They knew my dedication. They knew how hard I worked. And they trusted that whatever opportunity they gave me, I would show up prepared to earn it. Those relationships eventually opened doors to directing jobs I might never have gotten on paper alone.

For much of my life, I carried an insecurity about my education. I often walked into rooms assuming everyone else knew more than I did. (Sometimes they did.) But somewhere along the way, I stopped believing that meant I had less to offer. Education matters—I wish I had gone to college. But I've learned that knowing what you don't know can be its own kind of wisdom. It makes you ask questions. It makes you listen. It makes you prepare. And when hard work, passion, talent, and purpose come together, they can take you places no résumé could have predicted.

Maybe that's why, when people ask how I got here, I still struggle to give them a simple answer. I didn't have a master plan. I followed what felt true. When acting interested me and I discovered I had talent for it, I followed it. When that path led from Chicago to California, I went. When directing awakened something in me that acting never had, I was willing to leave behind a career in which I was already successful and begin again.

That may be the most important decision I made. Because there is a particular kind of courage required to walk away from something you're good at—not because you've failed, but because somewhere inside you, you know there is something else you're meant to do. My life didn't become what I imagined as a little girl. It became bigger.

We spend so much of our lives looking ahead, trying to figure out where we're supposed to go. We make plans. We compare ourselves to other people. We listen to all the reasons something is impractical or impossible. And sometimes those voices become so loud that we stop trusting what we already know. I've learned that sometimes the clearest map is found by looking back.

When I look back now, I see that little girl sitting on the living room floor, lining up her dolls, handing out her homemade Cinderella books, and creating a world for her family to enjoy. She thought she was just playing. She wasn't. She wasn't dreaming about becoming a director. She didn't even know that was something she could dream about. But something in her already knew she was a storyteller.

It took the grown woman a few decades to trust what the little girl seemed to know instinctively. Maybe that's what the quiet voice has been all along. Not an instruction to become someone new. A reminder to trust who I already was.

Netflix recently debuted Let's Marry Harry, a Bachelor-like dating series where 20 women competed for the heart of former playboy Harry Jowsey. In its August 12 finale, the reality show finished with Harry choosing between two women, 33-year-old Vegas cocktail waitress Dannelle Davidson and 30-year-old Hawaiian travel photographer Amber Mozo. Despite finding an early and steady connection with Dannelle, Harry ultimately felt his and Amber's slow-burn was the stronger choice, leaving Dannelle dumped and heartbroken in a wedding dress.

With a reunion heading to Netflix on August 26, fans are speculating over some big questions, including whether Harry and Amber are still together. However, Dannelle has already begun sharing her thoughts on her reality-show experience. Below, read on to learn more about the woman who almost married Harry, including how she found out about his and Amber's nuptials.

Dannelle Davidson is a Las Vegas cocktail waitress and rising influencer.

According to her Tudum bio, Dannelle Davidson is a 33-year-old Scorpio (making her four years older than Harry) who works as a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas. "Dannelle likes to say she runs on intuition, ambition, and 'a little bit of delusion,' the bio reads. "When Dannelle isn’t working, she’s trying new restaurants, hitting a gym class, or relaxing at home with her dogs.

Over the past year since Let's Marry Harry was filmed, Dannelle has continued working in the Vegas nightlife industry while also diving more into the influencer world, sharing stories from her shifts on TikTok. She has also done modeling for LIV Nightclub, LIV Beach Club, and Yasmin Swimwear.

Dannelle got a secret ring from Harry Jowsey early in filming 'Let's Marry Harry.'

It took a bit of time for Dannelle to become a frontrunner once Let's Marry Harry started filming. She first got the spotlight in episode 2, when she celebrated her birthday in the mansion. After sharing a quick kiss while cutting her birthday cake, they went upstairs to his suite to chat. In the show's edit, some risqué sounds ensued as the pair went into the closet for privacy, but Harry has accused producers of adding the sound effects when he and Dannelle were "just making out."

The next day, though Harry continues to get to know the rest of the girls, he says he can't get Dannelle out of his head. After they have a second, streamier evening together in episode 3, Harry becomes concerned that she could think that their connection is just about sex. To show her how he feels, he gives her a second, secret ring that he bought before the show. (All the women already got engagement rings from production in the premiere.)

After the secret ring, Dannelle takes a bit of a back seat in terms of screen time, but she and Harry still find moments to get closer. During the group date in episode 6, she tells him that she's falling in love with him, and he replies that he's "already there." The meet-her-mother lunch goes pretty well. Dannelle's mom is surprised to learn that there may be a wedding, but Harry gets through her grilling and gets her approval. And when the show goes to New Zealand, Dannelle says, "I love you," to him before meeting his sisters. Still, heading into the finale, Harry admits he doesn't know who to choose.

Dannelle thought Harry wouldn't get married after their split.

Both Dannelle and Amber spent the finale getting fully ready for a wedding, with dress shopping and all. On her final date, Dannelle meets Harry's dogs and reiterates how she's ready for kids ASAP. Meanwhile, while Amber still seems lukewarm about the whole marriage thing, she and Harry also exchange "I love you"s. In the end, Dannelle is surprised by Harry in the bridal suite, where he tells her they aren't getting married.

"I’ve really fallen in love with you. But this past week, I started second-guessing everything," Harry tells her. "I'm gonna be honest—I don't think we're getting married today."

In a Tudum interview, Dannelle admitted the choice blindsided her. "I just felt so sure in our connection that I couldn't wrap my head around anything else," she explained. "I just remember saying, ‘If he’s not marrying me today, he’s not getting married.'"

However, Harry did marry Amber (or, at least they had the ceremony). Dannelle revealed to Tudum that she didn't find out about the wedding from Harry. Her family and friends were staying at the same hotel as Amber's, so "it was pretty easy to figure out that everyone was on their way to the wedding." Dannelle also admitted, "I didn’t sleep that whole night. I was up till 4:00 a.m."

Dannelle spent a lot of time "processing" after 'Let's Marry Harry' finished filming.

While fans will have to wait until the August 26 reunion to get the full retrospective on Let's Marry Harry, Dannelle has broken her silence about her time on the show. In an Instagram Q&A posted the day of the finale's airing, per The Tab, the finalist opened up about watching the show back for the first time, admitting that the episodes were "really hard to watch."

In response to a submitted question about how she remained so composed during the breakup, Dannelle admitted that she was "in a state of shock and too stunned to speak." However, she added that now, after spending a good amount of time "processing" the split, she believes that "everything happened the way it was supposed to."

Spoilers ahead for the Let's Marry Harry reunion. So, who married Harry? 20 women competed to win Harry Jowsey's heart on the latest Netflix dating series (which felt very similar to The Bachelor), and at the end of Let's Marry Harry, only one got to say, "I do," at the altar. 30-year-old Hawaiian travel photographer Amber Mozo outlasted the competition and said her vows to the 29-year-old reality TV star in the show's finale.

But did they live happily ever after? Rumors were swirling before the show even premiered about whether notorious playboy Harry was still married to the winner of the series. Now that the Let's Marry Harry reunion is out on Netflix, read our breakdown of his and Amber's journey and whether they are still together after the cameras stopped rolling.

What happened between Harry and Amber on 'Let's Marry Harry?'

Amber Mozo, who was married before this competition, entered the house alongside the 19 other contestants vying for Harry's attention. Amber and Harry had immediate physical chemistry, but their emotional connection took a bit longer to form. At first, Harry admitted that he wasn't even sure if Amber liked him, calling her a "mysterious little cat." He explained in episode 2, "She makes me feel like she hates me, but also loves me, and I think that’s kind of exciting."

It wasn't until Amber opened up about her father's death during their one-on-one date in episode 5 that she and Harry began to form a deeper bond. Harry called it the best date he's ever had. Later in the season, he revealed that he sees bees as a symbol of his late father and that he'd only seen them flying around Amber—a sign of his dad's stamp of approval.

Amber's time living with the other girls came with some drama. First, she got into an argument with 30-year-old Juliana Melchor after Amber interrupted her alone time with Harry. Juliana claimed that Amber pulled Harry away right as she was having a serious heart-to-heart with the eligible bachelor, while Amber said she didn't realize what she was interrupting. The two eventually patched things up, but not after some lingering tension in the house.

The most controversial moment of the season occurred when, in episode 5, Amber and Harry have sex in the shower in Harry's bathroom. (Yes, he also lives in the main house.) In the episode, Amber can be heard saying, "Get naked. You gotta drive the car before you buy it." The other remaining girls overhear and jump to the right conclusion, though Harry initially lies to them about what happened behind the closed door.

Do Harry and Amber actually get married on 'Let's Marry Harry?'

In the finale, Amber calls their relationship "two imperfect people who are perfect for each other," before expressing her love for Harry. Though she was previously married and divorced, Amber says in a confessional that she feels at peace and has clarity about walking down the aisle towards Harry.

Harry breaks things off with finalist Dannelle Davidson in the dressing room while she's in her wedding dress (ouch!) and proceeds to the ceremony, where he meets executive producer Alex Cooper for a quick pep talk before taking his place at the altar.

Harry and Amber exchange heartfelt vows, with him noting their slow-burn romance. "On the first day of this, I didn’t think we’d be here,” he recites from handwritten vows at the altar. “Somehow you made me slow down, soften, and believe in something real. And here you are, and you make me feel like home.” Harry even dons his dad's glasses so that his late father can "see how beautiful" Amber is.

Amber replies, saying, "This whole process with you has been a process of surrendering, letting my guard down… You are so special and so unique, and I always said that unique souls have unique timelines, and it just feels like you were always meant to be on mine from my first date."

Despite the pair getting through their marriage ceremony officiated by Amanda Kloots without a hitch—and an official claim from Netflix that the wedding was legit—it seems that Harry and Amber's union was less than legally binding. Following the finale's release, TMZ reported that sources claimed the pair "intentionally held off on making the marriage official to avoid spoiling the ending before it aired." As one source reportedly claimed, the show was "preventing a Love Is Blind situation" in which sleuthing fans reveal spoilers by digging into marriage records.

Four days after TMZ's report, Harry himself confirmed that the wedding paperwork was never filed. He revealed via TikTok that he and Amber did sign papers following the ceremony, but that production "held onto the paperwork" to "save the whole experience" from spoilers. He added, "It is out there. But now you will see once the reunion is done and out there, if it gets submitted, or if it gets torn up."

It looks like we can now add Let's Marry Harry to Netflix's track record of redefining the sanctity of marriage. The arguably bigger question is whether Amber and Harry's relationship is still going strong, nearly a year after the show was reportedly filmed in late 2025.

Are Harry and Amber still together after 'Let's Marry Harry?'

Neither Amber nor Harry has explicitly commented on the fate of their marriage in the days between the August 12 finale and the August 26 reunion. However, the odds didn't seem great.

Before the show even aired, notable reality TV spoiler hound Reality Steve claimed that Harry and Amber had gotten "TV married," meaning they said "I do" but never signed a marriage certificate. The post, published three weeks prior to Let's Marry Harry's premiere, also dropped the alleged bombshell that the pair are no longer together, breaking up "earlier this year."

In the lead-up to the premiere, Amber teased her involvement on the series with an Instagram post that said, "24 hours until the world gets to witness the biggest man hater attempt to date the world's [sic] biggest red flag." While it doesn't explicitly refer to their fate, it could provide a peek into her feelings toward Harry post-show. Harry, meanwhile, told US Weekly that life after the show is "the best I’ve ever been. Everything that I’ve dreamed of is happening."

Another solid clue towards the couple's status so far has come not from Amber and Harry themselves, but from Harry's bestie Sonny Hetty. In an interview with The Swooon released on August 6, Hetty admitted that he was not happy with Harry's choice of bride. "I don’t really want to elaborate," Hetty added. "I just don’t think it was the right idea. I don’t think whoever was the winner, or the chosen, or if there was one, was the right one."

Fan speculation became so widespread that Amber did directly debunked one theory. In the finale, viewers briefly see Amber's friend Makoa Da Silva attend her wedding. Makoa has dated Harry's close friend and influencer Tana Mongeau for over two years, and a Reddit user speculated that Harry and Amber may have already known each other through Tana.

However, Amber told The Tab, "I have never met Harry before filming, no, but we have a mutual friend! My first time meeting him was on the show!"

Meanwhile, fans found potential evidence on Amber's Instagram that she has already found a new love post-Harry. On July 2, 2026, Amber posted an Instagram carousel recapping a trip to Ibiza, which includes one picture of Amber being carried to a private jet by a man who is not Harry. It's unclear whether the display is romantic or platonic; the pic was also featured in an Instagram Story highlight, which was seemingly deleted after The Tab first reported on it.

The final word on this rumor came not from Amber, but from her cousin, and fellow reality star, Litia Garr. The runner-up on Grant Ellis' season of The Bachelor, defended her cousin on Instagram, per The Swooon.

"That guy is not her boyfriend," the Bachelor alum explained. "She’s this big. She weighs 15 pounds. She’s literally the size of a Labubu. She gets picked up all the time, and that’s not her boyfriend."

What did Harry and Amber reveal at the 'Let's Marry Harry' reunion?

To the surprise of no one, Amber and Harry arrived to the Let's Marry Harry reunion as "ex-spouses." The pair revealed that their relationship became rocky pretty quickly after filming the wedding in November 2025. They set out on "honeymoon" travels to Hawaii and Australia soon after; by the end of the Australia trip, they had broken up. They disagreed a bit on the timeline following the trip, but according to Amber, Harry had completely ghosted her by February 1st, two or three months after the ceremony.

Both on the reunion and in a subsequent PEOPLE interview, Amber claimed that Harry "gaslit, manipulated and emotionally abused" her during their short-lived nuptials. Most notably, she accused Harry of having a wandering eye while they were together. According to Amber, while they were in Australia, Harry spent time with a female influencer instead of prioritizing her. Harry countered that the unidentified woman was a cover since he and Amber had to stay hidden.

Also, Dannelle revealed that she had reconnected with Harry last January, and that they were intimate when she visited him in L.A.. Amber claimed that she and Harry were still talking and that he effectively cheated on her with Dannelle. (Also, she apparently found out about them just days before the reunion.) All in all, Amber told PEOPLE that she felt Harry had "completely disposed of her."

During the reunion, Harry said that the need to keep their relationship public put a strain on them, and that he and Amber ultimately weren't meant to be. Despite him and Amber not working out, he claimed that he was still ready to be a husband.

"Maybe [the show] just wasn’t the perfect environment for me,” he said, per Tudum. “But it was a wild, beautiful journey, and it really taught me to slow down and just to take it day by day."

In fact, Harry may be currently dating his future wife. (No, not Dannelle, or any of his other ex-fiancées.) "I am in the most amazing relationship right now, and I think that I got very lucky to have this person in my life," he revealed. "I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I found the perfect person that makes me want to be a husband."

Fall may be just around the corner, but Sterling Point has us dreaming of an epic lakeside summer. Prime Video's new series from My Old Ass writer/director Megan Park is a coming-of-age drama centered on the titular small Canadian island. When N.Y.C. twins Annie (Ella Rubin) and Connor (Keen Ruffalo) inherit an idyllic cottage from their estranged grandfather, Annie sets out to visit Sterling Point, which was her late adoptive mother's favorite place in the world. But once she arrives, Annie finds that a secret sister (played by Amélie Hoeferle) is just the start of an avalanche of secrets surrounding their late mother.

Since its debut on August 5, Sterling Point has won the hearts of critics and fans, becoming the streamer's latest beloved word-of-mouth hit. The eight-part original series may have viewers wondering when they can book a seaplane to the small-town island. Below, read on for a guide to the filming locations of Sterling Point, from the stand-in for the titular island to the show's surprising connection to Heated Rivalry.

All About the Real 'Sterling Point' Locations

Where Was 'Sterling Point' Filmed?

According to star Ella Rubin, Sterling Point was filmed entirely in southeastern Ontario, Canada, "half in Toronto and half in Muskoka." The latter is a district two hours north of Toronto that comprises multiple villages and towns, as well as over 1,600 lakes. While Muskoka has plenty of rentals for visitors, most cottages are privately owned, especially ones that have been maintained for decades by the same families.

As seen on Sterling Point, Muskoka is part of "cottage country," one of Canada's most popular summer enclaves for wealthy families. (If that doesn't give you Hamptons vibes, Summer House's Canadian spinoff will be set in Muskoka.) The region regularly hosts celebrity couples from David and Victoria Beckham to Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, so Oona’s Kaia Gerber name-drop in episode 1 actually wasn't that far off.

Another reason that "cottage country" may sound familiar? Heated Rivalry put the vacation locale on the map late last year, as the cottage (of "I'm coming to the..." fame) is a real-life Muskoka rental property.

As for specifics, the Prime Video series was filmed in several locations around the region's three major lakes: Lake Muskoka, Lake Joseph, and Lake Rosseau. Per Streets of Toronto, some of the local haunts featured include the family-run Mortimer's Marina and the Sparrow Lake Camp, a real-life summer camp that also offers nightly tent stays.

Is 'Sterling Point' a Real Place?

The town of Sterling Point may be fictional, but it's based on personal history. Creator Megan Park was inspired by her own childhood summers in Muskoka in the '90s while writing both Sterling Point and her 2024 coming-of-age film My Old Ass. Park explained to CBC that the series is a love letter to the rapidly-changing region.

"There is tension up there that's very real with people who have had these cottages in their families for [generations], and new people coming in...environmental challenges," she told the outlet. "Muskoka is stunning, and I'm so glad that the world gets to see it."

There's also a sweet connection hidden within the show's name. According to a blog from the rental company Jayne's Cottages, one of their properties, a "century-old traditional cottage," was the filming location for Elliot's childhood home in My Old Ass. The name of the cottage? Sterling Point.

Turns out we won’t be leaving Silver Falls any time soon: Netflix has officially renewed the coming-of-age drama My Life with the Walter Boys for a fourth season, with the news coming before the now-streaming third season premiered on August 6, 2026. Based on the Wattpad sensation-turned-novel by Ali Novak, the series follows Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodriguez), who moves in with her mom’s best friend’s family in small-town Colorado after her family is tragically killed in a car crash. As Jackie acclimates to the change of pace from her Manhattan roots, she finds herself in a love triangle with two of the brothers living under the roof.

While the first season of the series is largely lifted from Novak’s novel, the subsequent seasons have evolved the story across many different characters and plot points—and season 4 will be no different. Ahead, we break down everything we know about the forthcoming My Life with the Walter Boys season 4.

Everything We Know About 'My Life with the Walter Boys' Season 4

Is 'My Life with the Walter Boys' renewed for season 4?

In May 2026, a few months ahead of the season 3 premiere, Netflix officially confirmed My Life with the Walter Boys will return for a fourth season, signaling the popularity of the YA series. The Tudum announcement noted that this is the second consecutive year in which My Life with the Walter Boys was renewed before the forthcoming season’s premiere.

When will 'My Life with the Walter Boys' season 4 come out?

The streamer has revealed that new episodes can be expected in 2027. “I know I speak for the writers, the cast, and the crew when I say that it is beyond exciting to be returning to the world of Silver Falls for a fourth season,” showrunner and executive producer Melanie Halsall told Tudum. “We are all incredibly grateful and are thrilled to dive in.”

Seasons 2 and 3 of the hit romance series have been released in the summer, and it seems like season 4 could do the same. In early August—just as the new slate of season 3 episodes hit streaming—Netflix announced that the show had already picked the cameras back up. It shared a sweet photo of the main trio back on set on social media, along with a caption confirming season 4 was in production.

With filming already underway, it definitely seems feasible for season 4 to arrive in summer 2027—though we probably won't have an official release date until sometime next year.

Who in the 'My Life with the Walter Boys' cast will return for season 4?

My Life with the Walter Boys wouldn't be the same without the leads—Nikki Rodriguez (Jackie Howard), Noah LaLonde (Cole Walter), and Ashby Gentry (Alex Walter)—so they'll inevitably return. Netflix confirmed as much, based on the photo it shared of them back on set at the ranch.

Much of the supporting cast will also likely return, including the Walter matriarch and patriarch played by Sarah Rafferty and Marc Blucas, as well as the other Walter siblings (and cousins) portrayed by Corey Fogelmanis (Nathan), Connor Stanhope (Danny), Dean Petriw (Jordan), Lennix James (Benny), Alix West Lefler (Parker), Myles Perez (Lee), and Isaac Arellanes (Isaac). The various significant others and friends amidst the Walter family will also likely return, meaning we’ll see more of Jaylan Evans (Skylar), Alisha Newton (Erin), Ellie O'Brien (Grace), Mya Lowe (Kylie), and Kolton Stewart (Dylan). Jackie’s uncle Richard, played by Alex Quijano, could continue to recur in season 4—and his intern Eliot (Naveen Paddock), whom Jackie kisses in the season 3 finale, seems likely to return after that major cliffhanger.

Eldest son Will and his fiancée Hayley, played onscreen by Johnny Link and Zoë Soul, are question marks, as their plans to move to Atlanta were announced in season 3. Similarly, Erin Karpluk, who appeared in season 3 as Lee and Isaac’s mom Hannah, could reappear in season 4, though it’s unlikely given the conclusion of her arc.

What would 'My Life with the Walter Boys' season 4 be about?

Like previous seasons, season 3 ends on a few cliffhangers: Following Jackie and Cole's mid-season break-up, Jackie sees her childhood friend Eliot in a new light and shares a kiss with him, while Cole's life is in danger after a drag race gone wrong. The series also introduces a new love triangle with best friends Alex and Kiley kissing despite her dating Dylan.

The exact plot of season 4 has not yet been revealed—but with Cole's fate hanging in the balance, his pre-race clarity, and the amount of miscommunication that fueled Jackie and Cole's break-up, we're sure to see those lovebirds find their way back to each other in season 4. Halsall told Tudum, “Our story’s about love and romance and love triangles and all those teenage trials and tribulations around those things, and we’re not going to divert from those—so much, much more of that to come in season 4.”

Halsall also spoke to Deadline about her choice to end season 3 with so many stories up in the air. "We like to subvert expectations and make people desperate for more and make people shout at their screen because they can’t believe it’s over," she explained. "It felt like the right place to leave the characters for now after everything that’s happened in this season."

The showrunner shared that the team always knew season 3 would end how it did—and that they know where the entire series is headed. While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Halsall said, "I definitely have a story in mind...Obviously things adapt and change while you’re writing. But the overall sense of where we’ll end up remains more or less the same." It hasn't been confirmed whether season 4 will be the show's final installment, but it sounds like there will eventually be a satisfying conclusion to its ultimate will-they-won't-they.

For now, continue to check back, as we'll keep this story updated as more information becomes available.

Netflix reality star Harry Jowsey is ready to settle down, and he’s turning to his inner circle for help finding a wife. The newest reality series from the streamer, Let’s Marry Harry, finds the Australian heartthrob dating a group of women at the same time, The Bachelor-style, sending contestants home as the series progresses until Jowsey finds “the one.” Along for the ride as his confidantes are his ex-girlfriend, Perfect Match star Georgia Hassarati, his “honorary brother” Sonny Henty, and his best friend Amanda Kloots.

This isn’t Kloots’s first foray into reality TV, so she's no stranger to being on camera, but there’s a lot you might not know about Jowsey’s best friend. Ahead, we delve into what you need to know about the former dancer and television personality.

Everything to Know About Amanda Kloots

Kloots grew up in Ohio and is a trained dancer.

Hailing from Canton, Ohio, Kloots is the second-youngest of five children. She began her career as part of major Broadway ensembles including Good Vibrations, Young Frankenstein, and Follies. She became a member of the Rockettes in 2004 and performed two seasons with the iconic troupe. On YouTube, she revealed that she auditioned twice before making the cut, fulfilling a childhood dream. Kloots later appeared on season 30 of Dancing With the Stars, placing fourth.

In 2016, she launched AK! Rope, a jump-rope-based fitness method, which she later expanded into AK! Dance and AK! Body. Eventually, she molded AK! Fitness, a digital fitness brand with cardio, dance, and toning exercises.

She was a co-host of the CBS talk show 'The Talk' until it ended in 2024.

In 2020, Kloots began appearing as a guest host on the CBS talk series, aptly titled The Talk. In 2021, she was bumped up to a permanent host, joining Sheryl Underwood, Jerry O'Connell, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, and Natalie Morales to discuss current events and human interest stories. For both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Kloots was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host along with her co-hosts. After 14 years and 15 seasons on-air, CBS ended the series in April 2024.

Her second husband Nick Cordero died from COVID-19 in 2020.

Kloots was married to her first husband, David Larsen, a theatre actor, for six years before meeting her second husband, Broadway star Nick Cordero. They met in 2014 while working on Bullets Over Broadway, a stage musical adaptation of Woody Allen’s 1994 film. Kloots and Cordero got married in 2017 and became parents to a son named Elvis in June 2019, and were together until Cordero’s death after a 95-day illness attributed to COVID-19 during the pandemic in 2020. Kloots went viral for documenting Cordero’s illness online—especially during the early days of the global pandemic when misinformation was prevalent—as well as her grief after his death.

In 2021, she co-authored a memoir titled Live Your Life: My Story of Loving and Losing Nick Cordero with her sister Anna about her experience. On the sixth anniversary of his death on July 5, 2026, Kloots posted a heartfelt tribute to her late husband, remembering him as a “magnificent person.”

Kloots and Jowsey bonded over their grief.

The best friend duo initially met via Dancing With the Stars, though they appeared in different seasons (Kloots in season 30 and Jowsey in season 32), and immediately bonded over their grief. Kloots opened up about losing Cordero, while Jowsey had just lost his father. “Amanda is one of the most incredible, powerful humans I’ve ever met,” Jowsey told US Weekly. “She navigates grief and talks about it with so much grace.”

In the press leading up to the premiere of Let’s Marry Harry, Jowsey has noted that the loss of his father was a motivating factor in his desire to settle down. “My whole dating life for the past 10 years has been in some sort of spotlight...losing my father was obviously the biggest turning point," he told E! News. “The biggest thing I was upset about was I didn't have kids and a wife to meet him. So, that was really difficult, and it made me take everything in life a little more serious.”

Ahead of the Let’s Marry Harry premiere, Kloots announced a new podcast called "Good Grief" that will center on conversations about grief with celebrity and expert guests. Jowsey is one of the announced guests scheduled to appear on the podcast, which officially launched on August 5, 2026, via Dear Media.

She is currently dating former tennis player Justin Gimelstob.

In April 2025, Kloots made her red-carpet debut with new beau Justin Gimelstob at An Unforgettable Evening event, held in support of breast cancer research. The former professional tennis player told PEOPLE, "She's just an incredibly special person. Obviously, she's physically beautiful, but the way she handles everything, she's so classy and has so much grace and is an amazing mother." The pair first met at a Formula 1 race, but didn't go on their first date until a year later when friends intervened.

Kloots has previously mentioned that she's had readings by mediums to communicate with her late husband Cordero, who has assured her that her time is coming. "He has definitely given me his blessing,” Kloots shared in 2024. “And he always says it's coming. That's one of the running themes from readings that I've had, that it's coming: 'I know you're lonely. It's coming.' I don't know. We'll see.”

Gimelstob has a few skeletons in his closet: He received a felony battery charge in April 2019, to which he pleaded no contest. Additionally, he and his ex-wife Cary Sinnott have previously accused one another of domestic violence, setting up a mutual restraining order within their divorce settlement.

In March 2026, Kloots posted a birthday photo dump, thanking Gimelstob for "loving me and spoiling me rotten, treating me like a queen every single day but especially yesterday," noting that it "feels really good to be so full of hope and happiness again."

Netflix's new reality series asks a question that has befuddled dating-show fans: Can Harry Jowsey settle down? After rising to fame on shows like Too Hot to Handle and Perfect Match, the Netflix Reality Universe's biggest breakout star has returned to the streamer for Let's Marry Harry, a Bachelor-like series in which 20 women vie for the chance to wed the self-described "podcast host, entrepreneur, and reformed player."

In the eight-part series, the "Boyfriend Material" host moves into a house full of interested women in search of his bride. With the help of his closest confidants—fitness pro Amanda Kloots, businessman Sonny Henty, and fellow Netflix star (and Harry's ex) Georgia Hassarati—the goal is for Jowsey to leave the show a husband, with a legally binding marriage taking place during the finale. (Of course, any Love Is Blind fan knows that's easier said than done.)

To fill the Let's Marry Harry mansion, the team behind the Alex Cooper-produced series recruited 20 women who are ready to tie the knot. The roster ranges in age from early 20s to early 30s and over-indexes on Geminis, Aries, and Capricorns. (Jowsey is a 29-year-old Gemini, for those wondering.) From aspiring housewives to small-business founders to a single mom (and even a former Bachelor contestant), the house that Jowsey shares with these women is packed with personality (and drama).

With the finale out on August 12, read on to get to know the women of Let's Marry Harry, including the finalists and standouts. Spoilers for all episodes below.

Who were the finalists of 'Let's Marry Harry?'

Amber

Instagram: @ambermozo

Age: 30

Hometown: O'ahu, Hawaii

Occupation: Travel photographer

Astrological Sign: Aries

Background: "Married and divorced at a young age, Amber knows firsthand the importance of giving each other the freedom to grow."

Why Harry? "An adventurous spirit will always catch her attention, which is why meeting Harry feels so exciting to her."

Dannelle

Instagram: @dannelle_davidson

Age: 33

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Occupation: Cocktail waitress

Astrological Sign: Scorpio

Why Harry? "Dannelle is ready to choose Harry for his kindness and for how close he is to his family. 'The accent definitely doesn’t hurt!'"

Sam

Instagram: @samkruseee

Age: 24

Hometown: Chico, California

Occupation: Indoor soccer arena owner

Astrological Sign: Virgo

Background: "What started as an impulsive decision to get back at an ex turned into a highly successful OnlyFans account."

Why Harry? "She loves being around people with big personalities, which is what drew her to Harry."

Who were the notable contestants of 'Let's Marry Harry?'

Abby

Instagram: @abigaileasterling

Age: 24

Hometown: Lafayette, Louisiana

Occupation: Medical esthetician

Astrological Sign: Capricorn

Why Harry? "Abby is charmed by Harry’s big smile and infectious laugh, and hopes to see the more family-oriented side of him."

Emma

Instagram: @emma.pio

Age: 26

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Occupation: Marketing manager

Astrological Sign: Cancer

Dating Non-negotiable: "She’s not giving up her guy friends to appease her partner. 'You should absolutely be allowed to have friends of the opposite sex.'"

Juliana

Instagram: @julsssmelchor

Age: 30

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Occupation: Account manager

Astrological Sign: Virgo

Why Harry? "It’s [her] sense of play that draws her to Harry. Juliana likes that he’s 'a silly goose,' someone who doesn't take himself too seriously."

Mya B.

Instagram: @myabenway

Age: 23

Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona

Occupation: Clothing brand owner

Astrological Sign: Gemini

Why Harry? "Warm, approachable, and easy to talk to, Mya believes she’s found a kindred spirit in Harry."

Most Controversial Take: "She’s big on trust and transparency—so much so that she believes couples should know each other’s phone passwords."

Rickiyah

Instagram: @rickiyahm

Age: 26

Hometown: Humboldt, California

Occupation: Health care recruiter

Astrological Sign: Aquarius

Why Harry? "Rickiyah has zero interest in settling and is curious to see how Harry has moved past his reputation as a player. 'I can respect someone who graduated from the streets.'"

Most Controversial Take: "'I shouldn’t be touching any door handles or public surfaces...'If I wash my hands after a date and there’s any dirt on them, I’m never seeing you again.'"

Who are the contestants of 'Let's Marry Harry?'

Charlie

Instagram: @hustlelikehare

Age: 29

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Occupation: Digital entrepreneur

Astrological Sign: Gemini

Dating Style: "Charlie has high standards, low tolerance, and lives by the immortal words: 'If he wanted to, he would.'"

Debralee

Instagram: @debraleetomberlin

Age: 26

Hometown: Kings Mountain, North Carolina

Occupation: Medical device sales

Astrological Sign: Scorpio

Ideal Partner: "She hopes to build a family someday, and is searching for someone who values stability, effort, and emotional awareness."

Elli

Instagram: @e_schryver

Age: 32

Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona

Occupation: "Micro-retired"

Astrological Sign: Gemini

Why Harry? "A fearless leader, she’s not afraid to grab Harry for a chat to flirt or discuss her favorite hobby: sports betting. Her only concern with dating the charismatic bachelor is 'that he is a naughty little chicken.'"

Emily

Instagram: @emily_stonee

Age: 27

Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Occupation: Aesthetic nurse injector

Astrological Sign: Capricorn

Why Harry? "She’s aware of Harry’s reputation, but she’s excited to learn more about his desire to become a dad."

Faith

Instagram: @thefaithlove

Age: 24

Hometown: Elkton, Kentucky

Occupation: Marketing

Astrological Sign: Capricorn

Background: "Faith thrives on being pushed outside her comfort zone, and her career proves it: modeling, late nights in the hospital, and currently, corporate marketing."

Jade

Instagram: @jadeeinnes

Age: 25

Hometown: Thousand Oaks, California

Occupation: Software sales

Astrological Sign: Aries

Looking For: "She wants someone who can keep up with her lifestyle and isn’t shy about it. 'Financial stability, success, and ambition are legitimate standards, not shallow preferences.'"

Lauren

Instagram: @laurenhollinger_

Age: 30

Hometown: Dover, Delaware

Occupation: Nurse

Astrological Sign: Aries

Background: She and her sister competed on Joey Graziadei's season of The Bachelor.

Most Controversial Take: "'Men should support women, and women shouldn’t work.'"

Lindsey

Instagram: @linclarkk

Age: 27

Hometown: San Francisco, California

Occupation: Yacht stewardess

Astrological Sign: Taurus

Why Harry?: "It was Harry’s charisma that hooked her. 'Everyone seems to love him right off the bat.'"

Maya

Instagram: @mayaavery23

Age: 25

Hometown: Armonk, New York

Occupation: CEO and founder of a talent management agency

Astrological Sign: Virgo

Why Harry? "Maya wants a genuine partner, and she's paying close attention to whether Harry has actually grown from his past, or 'just gotten better at talking about it.'"

Samantha

Instagram: @samanthaamadsenn

Age: 23

Hometown: Austin, Texas

Occupation: Recruiter

Astrological Sign: Gemini

Why Harry? "Samantha describes herself as 'equal parts confidence, equal parts chaos,' and is drawn to Harry’s exciting lifestyle and sense of fun."

Dating Style: "The man should always like you more than the other way around."

Sammy

Instagram: @sammygotay

Age: 29

Hometown: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey

Occupation: Pilates instructor

Astrological Sign: Taurus

Background: "A devoted mom, she wants a partner who'll step up as protector for her and her son."

Shaine

Instagram: @shainehinson

Age: 24

Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska

Occupation: Medical sales

Astrological Sign: Leo

Why Harry?: "Shaine is drawn to people who don’t take themselves too seriously and knows how to make her laugh, which is why she’s interested in Harry. 'I love a funny guy.'"

From her first strut into the villa, Ariana Madix has made hosting Love Island USA look effortless. But only she knows how much goes into steering the world’s biggest dating show: tracking the Islanders’ ever-changing affections, calling out toxicity in the fandom, and being ready to step into a skin-baring gown at a moment’s notice. After three seasons with the host—who just earned her first Emmy nomination—it’s hard to imagine anyone else gracing the wooden catwalk.

For Madix, the entrance calls back to what's remained her favorite place since childhood: the theater. “We stand in the tunnel, and [a producer] cues me in, just like you would for a play. Also, because the floors are hardwood, it feels like I'm on a stage,” the reality star tells Marie Claire a week following the season 8 finale. After 10 years of giving a very different type of performance on Vanderpump Rules, it’s as if Love Island USA is the perfect bridge between Madix's reality TV résumé and her theater-kid roots. If anyone knows how to balance passion with keeping cool under pressure—not to mention the spotlight or 24/7 camera crew—it's her.

That's in part what led Madix to receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program—an honor she's still processing. “It felt very surreal,” she recalls, chatting over Zoom while barefaced in a black sports bra. “It's really going to hit when we start scheduling things closer to the Emmys. Whenever they do billboards for Love Island, I'm always [in Fiji]. If they do something to promote this, I'll probably get very emotional.”

The awards ceremony is the latest milestone of the whirlwind three years Madix has spent showing the breadth of her talent, channeling heartbreak and a period of transition into a career breakthrough. Go back to her previous interviews, and she’s accomplished every one of her dreams: a Broadway debut, a role on a mockumentary comedy, even the Emmy nom. The recognition also marks a full-circle moment for the longtime Love Island fan, who went from name-dropping the show while she was still on Bravo to becoming a mentor to young women taking their first steps into the public eye.

“Fangirls unite,” she says of going from a viewer to the face of the show. “People love to talk down about it, but fangirling is powerful.”

Ahead of the Emmys on September 14, Madix chats with Marie Claire about her behind-the-scenes styling decisions, how grief affected season 8’s production, and the emotional strength she admires from the Islanders.

MC: What does your day-to-day look like as you’re filming a season of Love Island USA?

AM: It's always in flux, which is fun because it keeps me on my toes. I'm always in the gym and trying to keep my head right. I watch all the episodes, and when I'm wondering if I'm behind on something, I'll text producers or the social team to try to stay up to date. Things are happening so fast that I can very easily be behind on what's going on, especially right after a recoupling.

Sometimes when I go to the villa, I don't have a script. I’ll have an earpiece [to feed me lines], and there are times where I'm saying things that I've never heard or read before. I love it when I can get a script so I can put things in my own words, because I do like to be able to go in and be myself. I always think those are the moments that are the best on the show: when I'm able to bring myself to whatever crazy, fun, sexy moment is about to happen.

MC: Walk me through your styling for the show. How do you choose which outfits to wear each night?

AM: What I wear can definitely be dictated by the subject matter or the feel of the night. When we had our big fitting this year, we didn't know yet which ones were going to be for what. I am so lucky that I have both an amazing stylist here in L.A. and an amazing on-set styling team in Fiji. Our on-set styling team also works with the Islanders, so they have an idea of what the Islanders are going to be wearing, as well. For the premiere, we discussed that the Islanders are all going to be in bright colors, so if I wanted to wear a black dress, this would be the time. And of course it's this gorgeous, fun Tom Ford dress.

For a Casa Amor recoupling, I always think the look needs to feel a little bit dangerous. The finale look can be more celebratory. And then outside of that, it's usually, Do I feel good in the look, and am I excited about it? Because it's Love Island, I always want it to feel sexy and fun, and probably not something that I would wear in my day-to-day life.

MC: Is there a look that best combines your Love Island look and your personal, off-camera style?

AM: [In season 7], the pink [gown] with the hood and the gladiator sandal. I think that was the best marriage of what I would wear going out or something that feels like me and a Love Island style.

MC: Do you have any fun stories behind the looks from season 8?

AM: A lot of the looks this year were last-minute choices. The wet-look dress was actually one of my personal dresses that I just happened to bring with me. It had been pouring for days, and we had to figure out shoes I could wear in case I needed to walk in the rain. For the red one, my friend Taylor [Jean Cox] designed it, and I knew that was going to be the Casa recoupling dress. We had a fitting in my house the day before I flew to Fiji, and she was able to make that dress and get it out to set. That was the one I was the most excited to wear all season.

MC: Longtime fans know that season 7 was very different from the typical Love Island season. Were there any lessons you learned that you took into season 8?

AM: Anytime people say, ‘But we always do this,’ [the producers are] going to change it. They're never going to let anybody think they know what's coming next. That's part of what I love about the show because I always love to be surprised. In terms of my hosting, something I took away from season 7 is that the Islanders are always going to do what they want to do, and they're going to feel how they're going to feel. I love them all, and I always hope that they're okay. I feel like I could have reiterated that more.

MC: You often speak out against negative criticism towards the Islanders. With the show's growing popularity, how have you learned to handle the online criticism?

AM: I don't think that hate has any place in our viewership whatsoever. If I'm scrolling and I see someone being hateful, I block them. I don't care who or what they're talking about. I really was excited to hear that they were handling the socials differently this year, with the Islanders turning off certain things on their profiles, because that was something I was hoping that they would have done in season 7 as well.

Fans are not always going to agree with what someone says or does on the show. That's the point: We all date differently, we feel differently, we come from different backgrounds. If you want to talk about how you didn't like the way that someone said or did something, that's completely fine. But to then harass or send Islanders hate? I think it's so wrong. Because no matter what, they're all trying their best in this moment, and that's all that you could ever ask of somebody.

MC: Executive producer James Barker tragically passed away while filming season 8. How did you and the production team process the loss of a colleague while still having to make a successful show?

AM: Honestly, it was really, really sad. I don't know how the people on his team who worked with him day in and day out were able to continue. We had a night where everyone came together and celebrated James, and I'm glad we were able to take a moment on the show for him in one of the episodes as well. James was a friend of mine, someone who I really valued. He was so talented, so kind. The big thing that we connected on was our love of music. We would send each other music nearly every day, especially when we were in Fiji. I would be watching the show, and text him about a song, and he would know exactly what I was talking about. I feel like in so many ways he was the heart and soul of the show.

When I've experienced losses, if I can be distracted by something I'm passionate about, such as this show, it's helpful. I think that a lot of the team were feeling like, Let's do this for James and let's get through the season. I know that [the executive producing team are] all missing him terribly because they worked so closely together. I hope that now that we're all back, everyone's able to take some time for themselves, be with family, and process.

MC: So much has changed for you in the past three years, both professionally and personally. How has hosting Love Island and being in your current relationship changed your views on love and dating?

AM: Something I always take away from the Islanders is their ability to express exactly what they're thinking and feeling to each other in the moment. I admire that as a strength in people because it’s something I’ve definitely struggled with. I blame it on my Virgo moon. I'm a Cancer who feels things very deeply, but until I can process those things and put some logical explanation to it, I don't know how to express it. So I always try to take that away and be able to bring that to my real life. Also, I am a very anxious person, and Daniel [Wai, my boyfriend] really helps my nervous system. He helps me be able to go into a job like this and feel confident and loved.

MC: If you think back to a younger Ariana—hustling in N.Y.C., bartending at Butter, making College Humor videos—what do you think she would be like as a contestant on Love Island?

AM: Besides the crippling insecurity that I would feel being in a bathing suit all day, I think I would have been very messy. I would've been trying to collect boys and girls like infinity stones—so maybe a great Islander and a horrible Islander at the same time.

MC: Speaking of, you’ve said before that you want more queer representation on Love Island. What are your thoughts on people who say it doesn’t fit the show’s format or logistics?

AM: We’ll figure out the logistics. When there's a recoupling, they tell the powers that be. They're not coming up with it in the moment. Making this show is always laying one piece of train track in front of the other as the train is approaching. So we would figure it out. That's just me being optimistic or maybe delulu, but I certainly think that it's possible.

MC: Many of your career goals have come true, from performing on Broadway to earning an Emmy nomination. What do you hope to manifest next?

AM: If I say something out loud, especially in a forum where other people are going to hear about it, I feel as though, Okay, now that I've said it, I have to put work towards it. Putting something out there allows me to really focus and work towards it. What are the loftiest goals possible? EGOT status is probably the biggest. I think my ideal life includes getting to host this fun, fantastical show, being able to go on stage and dance and sing, and to go on TV and creatively express myself and make people laugh. If I could balance all of that with a loving and stable life at home, that to me is the ultimate goal. We're manifesting that now, but we can still put the EGOT out there.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Sports-romance is certainly having a moment—and not just on #BookTok. As romance book-to-series adaptations have started to take over our streaming services, the subgenre has proven particularly popular in the pipeline, with hits like Heated Rivalry to Off Campus.

There's certainly no shortage of romance books worth getting the on-screen treatment—but if you've been hoping for more LGBTQ+ love stories, you can get excited because one of the most popular sapphic soccer romances is headed to Prime Video. In spring 2026, the streamer confirmed that it will soon release a TV series based on Meryl Wilsner’s Cleat Cute. The 2023 book about two female soccer players who have tension on the field and even greater sexual tension on the sidelines marked Wilsner's third queer novel and has since become a TikTok hit and USA TODAY bestseller.

The series, retitled Playing the Field, will center on the Cleat Cute leads Grace and Phoebe, but also expand into an ensemble comedy. Wilsner, who is among the executive producers, has expressed how they're championing whatever is to come. "As a consumer, I can't stop thinking how lucky we are to get multiple versions of queer stories across different media," they wrote in an April 2026 Facebook post. "I'm so excited to see where [they take] my favorite fictional soccer lesbians!"

Read on for everything we know about the Cleat Cute adaptation Playing the Field so far.

What is 'Cleat Cute' about?

Cleat Cute unfolds as a classic rival-to-lovers story about a veteran national soccer team star named Grace and her new teammate, Phoebe, who just took her spot on the field after an injury. It’s all fun and flirtation between the two of them until Grace has recovered enough to get back on the field, where she’ll be competing against her new situationship for a spot on the World Cup roster. Both women will have to decide what's really important to them—and what they're each willing to give up.

According to Deadline, the TV adaptation will use the couple’s tension-filled relationship as the “anchor” to the show, which will showcase the “sexy, messy, and exciting” lives of four different players on the soccer team.

Who is involved behind-the-scenes of Prime Video's 'Cleat Cute' TV adaptation 'Playing the Field?'

When Deadline confirmed an adaptation was in the works in April 2026, the outlet revealed Sarah Tapscott—who previously wrote and produced on hit series like New Girl, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and more—will lead Playing the Field as showrunner, executive producer, and writer.

"When I tell you this could not be in better hands, I mean it," Wilsner gushed of Tapscott via a post on Facebook. "Within five minutes of meeting her over Zoom, I knew she was our showrunner. She's fucking hilarious, to put it mildly."

There are a few thrilling names beyond Tapscott, as well. Bringing the professional athlete expertise are former WNBA player Sue Bird and former USWNT soccer star Megan Rapinoe, who both serve as executive producers. Wilsner also sung praises of them, writing, "I mean come on, Megan and Sue...Everyone working on this project is fantastic."

Additional producers include Wilsner themselves, Jeff Wachtel (Murder in a Small Town, Good Cop/Bad Cop), Jared Berenholz (Murder in a Small Town), Camille Bernier-Green, and Emily Rasenick.

What has Meryl Wilsner said about the 'Cleat Cute' TV adaptation 'Playing the Field?'

Wilsner has made it clear to fans that while they are an executive producer of the show, they're very open to any liberties that Tapscott may take with their work. "Cleat Cute is one of my favorite books I’ve written, but that’s what it is. A book,” they explained in a Facebook post. "Playing the Field is not my baby. As a creator, I love seeing someone else’s take on the characters, and I can’t emphasize enough how great [Tapscott] is."

When will the 'Cleat Cute' TV adaptation 'Playing the Field' be released?

There is no release date for Playing the Field. It might be a while before it hits streaming, too. Wilsner has described the timeline as "vague."

"There are many, many, *many* steps to making a TV show," they wrote to fans in April 2026. "The basics of the show—script, outline, general vibe—are being established. This is a very fun stage, but it’s not the same as being in production."

Considering it's still early days for the series and casting hasn't begun (more on that below!), the finished product might not hit our screens until at least 2028.

Why is the name changed from 'Cleat Cute' to 'Playing the Field?'

The Cleat Cute title has notably been changed to Playing the Field for the TV show (not unlike Prime Video's decision to shift Every Summer After to Every Year After for its Carley Fortune adaptation). Wilsner opened up about the change, explaining that it only allows for the series to grow.

"This is a TV show, not a movie, so the story needs to be expanded instead of whittled down," the author wrote on Facebook. "Cleat Cute was specifically the story of Grace and Phoebe falling in love, and Playing the Field is an ensemble comedy."

And we already know how the show plans to expand beyond the book's horizon. As its logline teases, the on-screen version will focus on several players and their love lives. While it's way too early to say how long Playing the Field will run, it certainly seems ripe for a different focus each season à la Off Campus.

Who has been cast in the 'Cleat Cute' adaptation 'Playing the Field?'

No casting decisions have been made yet (“I don’t know who will play Grace or Phoebe," Wilsner admitted when the adaptation was announced). However, the writer is certainly interested in who her readers would like to see, asking on social media, "Who do y’all have in mind?"

While nothing is confirmed, several names have already popped up on social media, with fans nominating stars like Liv Hewson (Yellowjackets, Santa Clarita Diet) or Ella Purnell (Fallout, Sweetpea) as Phoebe and Charlotte Austin (Petrichor) or Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets) as Grace Henderson.

Netflix's wholesome Korean reality show Better Late Than Single returned for its second season this month, with a new cast of eternal singles (or "모태솔로" in Korean) dipping their toes into the dating pool for the first time. Over 10 episodes, the 20- and 30-something singles lived together in a retreat on Jeju Island where they got to know each other in the hopes of finding their first relationships. The dating show ended on July 28 with the final couples walking off to continue their romances in the real world, leaving viewers to wonder whether their new faves are still together.

Thankfully, Netflix won't leave fans waiting for too long! The streaming giant has announced a reunion special for Better Late Than Single season 2, which will bring the cast back together for relationship updates and answers to some lingering questions. Below, read on for everything to know about the upcoming reunion, titled Better Late Than Single: After Service.

When does 'Better Late Than Single: After Service' come out?

Netflix has confirmed that the Better Late Than Single reunion special will arrive on the streamer on Saturday, August 1, 2026, just five days after the season 2 finale. The exact timing of the release is unknown, but fans have noticed the special may seemingly arrive a day early in the U.S.

With After Service, Better Late Than Single becomes the third Netflix Korean reality show to get a reunion spinoff, after Single's Inferno Reunion and Physical: Welcome to Mongolia.

Which cast members will return for 'Better Late Than Single: After Service?'

Netflix has yet to confirm which cast members will appear on Better Late Than Single: After Service. All of the season 2 cast members are likely to return to some extent, including Kim Jae-seo, Jeon Seo-yoon, Yoon Jung-yun, Choi Hyun-seo, Lee Han-ju, Ahn Seung-hyun, Kim Soo-hyun, Choi Hyuk-joon, Lee Jin-woo, Han Su-ji, An Jeong-eun, and Kim Tae-hoon. However, there's a chance some stars may only appear for part of the special, if there are scheduling conflicts with their real-life jobs.

As for the show's hosting panel, who provide both commentary for viewers and pre-show dating advice for the cast, comedian Lee Eun-ji and singer Car, the Garden are set to return for the special. (No word yet on whether actors Seo In-guk and Kang Han-na will also make an appearance.)

Finally, the Better Late Than Single: After Service trailer teases something that fans have been teasing for a while. In the clip, the season 2 cast sits down for blind dates with some familiar faces from season 1, including Kang Ji-su, Kim Seung-li, Lee Min-hong, and Yi Do.