"Severance" is probably Apple TV+'s most popular show — its highly anticipated second season premieres January 17, almost three years after the first season ended in April 2022.

The sci-fi thriller takes place in a world where employees of the Lumon corporation can choose to undergo the "severance" procedure, which completely separates their consciousness between their work selves and their home selves (or "innies" and "outies" in the show's parlance).

The cast is packed from top to bottom with amazing actors, but we can't say enough about Adam Scott's dual performance as Mark Scout/Mark S. It's clear that while the two share an underlying goodness, they each have distinct personalities and mannerisms.

Fans of shows like "Lost," "Mr. Robot," and "Westworld" should tune in immediately.

"Slow Horses" is a British spy thriller based on the Mick Herron books series called "Slough House."

A far cry from the slick halls of James Bond's MI6, "Slow Horses" follows a team of reject MI5 agents who, rather than get fired or quit, are sent to Slough House, a junky outpost run by the slovenly Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), a former Cold War super-spy who has become jaded with the entire service.

Of course, even though these are supposed to be the most incompetent agents in the intelligence community, things just keep happening to the Slow Horses that keep them in the action.

There are four seasons with six episodes each, with at least two more on the way, so it's a perfect weekend binge.

"Bad Sisters" is a black comedy starring Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, and Eve Hewson as five sisters living in Dublin. One of them, Grace (Duff), is married to a controlling, abusive man named John Paul (Claes Bang).

Each of the Garvey sisters has their own problem with John Paul, so when he dies mysteriously, each becomes a suspect in a case involving John Paul's life insurance.

The first season told a relatively complete story, so it was surprising when the show returned for season two. While it didn't live up to the highs of season one, it's enough to be in the company of the Garvey sisters for another eight hours.

Plus, you can always pretend it's a perfect limited series if you really don't want to watch season two.

"Hijack" seemed to come out of nowhere, but what a pleasant surprise it was. The show stars Idris Elba as Sam, a corporate negotiator who happens to be on a flight from Dubai to London that gets hijacked midair.

The series is a tense thriller set in real time. It is seven episodes long, and the flight is seven hours.

It was renewed for season two last summer, and we can't wait to see what Sam does next.

"Shrinking" is a comedy starring Jason Segel as Jimmy, a therapist grieving the loss of his wife after a drunk-driving accident. Sick of listening to people complain to him about their problems without doing anything about it, Jimmy begins to cross ethical lines and tell people what he thinks they should be doing.

It's a comedy, we promise.

The cast is rounded out by Jimmy's coworkers Gaby (Jessica Williams) and Paul (a locked-in Harrison Ford), his best friend Brian (Michael Urie), and his daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell).

If you're a fan of the heartwarming, gentle comedy of "Ted Lasso" (more on that later), the two seasons of "Shrinking" will go down easy, and we're sure the upcoming third season will too.

The first true-crime series on this list, "Black Bird" is the real story of Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton), a low-level criminal who agreed to a two-year plea deal with a chance of parole that turned out to be a 10-year deal with no chance of parole.

But his fortunes begin to change when the FBI approaches him with a proposition: befriend fellow inmate and suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser) and get him to confess to as many murders as possible, and get out of prison immediately with an expunged record.

"Black Bird" also stars Ray Liotta in one of his final performances as Jimmy's father, Big Jim.

Anyone who was a fan of Netflix's "Mindhunter" should tap into "Black Bird" as soon as possible.

This is the second adaptation of Scott Turow's novel of the same name, after the 1990 film starring Harrison Ford and Brian Dennehy.

In the show, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Rusty Sabich, a Chicago prosecutor who is accused of murder himself after a coworker he was having an affair with, Carolyn (Renate Reinsve), turns up dead.

This show is, in a word, chaotic. But it is extremely watchable, and we don't get enough legal thrillers in movies or on TV anymore, so it's great to see one as successful as this. Season two was confirmed in July 2024.

"For All Mankind" is an alternate history show that asks what would have happened if the Soviet Union had beaten the US to the Moon in 1969. You might not think that would change a lot, but the four seasons of "For All Mankind" suggest it would've changed NASA and the space program in all sorts of ways.

Each season of the show takes place in a different decade, allowing us to check in with our characters in the '70s, '80s, '90s, and 2000s. A fifth season in the 2010s has already been confirmed.

In addition to being thrilling sci-fi, it's also a compelling look at the personal relationships between the astronauts and their families. There's something for everyone.

You might be asking, "Is 'The Morning Show' actually good?" And our response to that would be: Must a show be good?

Is it not enough to cast some of the best TV actors of all time (Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Jon Hamm, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Steve Carell, Greta Lee, Karen Pittman, Billy Crudup, Julianna Margulies, Nicole Beharie, Holland Taylor, Tig Notaro … the list goes on) to spout some nonsense about how important TV ratings and morning shows are to American culture?

Ultimately, "The Morning Show" is extremely watchable. Season four is set to drop this year.

"The Buccaneers" is one of Apple TV+'s few teen-focused shows, but it's a great one. Based on Edith Wharton's unfinished novel of the same name, "The Buccaneers" is a more progressive take on what it was like to be a young woman in society during the Gilded Age.

Our titular buccaneers are a group of American friends who travel to England during debutante season to secure advantageous matches. But someone in the writer's room was clearly watching "Bridgerton," because there's racial diversity, a compelling queer storyline, love triangles, and tons of modern music.

"The Buccaneers" ended on a tantalizing cliffhanger, so thankfully, it was renewed for a second season in December 2023.

Vince Vaughn stars in another crime series after "True Detective"; this time it's a more comedic one based on the Carl Hiaasen novel "Bad Monkey."

All of Hiaasen's novels are characterized by the easy-breezy Florida mentality of its lead characters, and "Bad Monkey" is no different. In the series, Vaughn plays Andrew Yancy, a motor-mouthed cop turned restaurant inspector.

When Yancy is tasked with some busy work by a former colleague (transporting a severed arm to the morgue), he gets dragged into a conspiracy spanning Florida, Key West, and the Bahamas.

It was renewed for season two in December 2024.

"Pachinko" is a generational epic based on Min Jin Lee's 2017 novel of the same name. It follows a Korean family living in Japan across four generations and 74 years. Part of the show's central tension is the treatment of Korean immigrants in Japan throughout the 20th century, and it is sure to both warm and break your heart.

Fans of Anna Sawai from "Shogun" should check out the two seasons of "Pachinko," as she's equally wonderful in both shows.

The second true-crime limited series on this list, "Five Days at Memorial," is based on the five days immediately following Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center, a hospital in New Orleans. It's based on the 2013 book of the same name.

If you don't know the true story already, we recommend going blind. Vera Farmiga gives a truly harrowing performance as Dr. Anna Pou, an overworked surgeon who makes stomach-churning decisions about how to help her patients best as they await rescue.

For some lighter fare, we turn to "Platonic," a sweet, decidedly not rom-com about two best friends who reconnect after one gets divorced.

Why'd they stop being friends? Because Sylvia (Rose Byrne) accidentally told her best friend Will (Seth Rogen) that she hated his his now-ex Audrey (Alisha Wainwright).

The stakes are low in "Platonic," but the chemistry between Rogen and Byrne, first established in the "Neighbors" films, remains as charming as ever.

Season two was announced in December 2023, so it's expected to be released this year.

"Manhunt" went somewhat under the radar upon its release last March, but we don't know why. It's a genuinely riveting portrayal of the 12-day manhunt for Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle), led by Lincoln's secretary of war, Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies) — and the conspiracy led by some in the South to protect Booth.

In the series, Lincoln is played by an unrecognizable Hamish Linklater (who is never anything less than stellar).

The series is just seven episodes long, so it's another great weekend show to binge.

"Dickinson" is one of the most inventive shows on this list, starring Hailee Steinfeld as the 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson. The show follows her as a young woman living in Amherst with her sister Vinnie (Anna Baryshnikov), her brother Austin (Adrian Blake Enscoe), and her parents Edward (Toby Huss) and Emily (Jane Krakowski).

Complicating matters is that Austin's fiancée Sue (Ella Hunt) is Emily's secret lover.

While fans of Dickinson's might know that she didn't have the happiest adult life, the show manages to inject hilarity, biting social commentary, and a decent amount of magical realism into the show — for example, Emily is friends with a personification of Death played by Wiz Khalifa.

It ran for three seasons from 2019 to 2021 and is one of few shows today that actually has a satisfying conclusion.

"Mythic Quest" is a workplace sitcom about a team of employees working at a video game studio that created a hugely popular MMORPG game of the same name.

The cast is an all-star lineup of comedians, including "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's" Rob McElhenney as Ian, the creative director and creator of "Mythic Quest"; Danny Pudi as Brad, the head of monetization; David Hornsby as David, the executive producer; Jessie Ennis as Jo, David's assistant; and Charlotte Nicdao as Poppy, the lead engineer.

If you're not sure about the show at first, give it until the fifth episode, "A Dark Quiet Death," which completely upends its structure and introduces two entirely new characters, played by Cristin Milioti and Jake Johnson.

Season four will premiere on January 29, giving you enough time to catch up.

If you happened to catch "The First Omen," one of 2024's best horror films, you're probably wondering where else you can watch Nell Tiger Free be delightfully creepy.

Look no further than "Servant," a psychological horror show produced by one of the kings of horror, M. Night Shyamalan.

"Servant" is the story of a married couple, Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) and Sean (Toby Kebbell), who are dealing with the tragic death of their 13-week-old son Jericho in an unorthodox way — they've purchased a realistic baby doll, and Dorothy is treating it like it's her actual, living son.

So much so that Dorothy and Sean (who knows that the doll isn't real) have hired a nanny to care for Jericho. Enter: Free as Leanne, the creepiest nanny to grace the small screen in quite a long time.

"Servant" is up and down, as Shyamalan projects can be, but the four seasons keep the tension up the entire time. All horror fans should at least try it out.

We couldn't round up Apple TV+'s best shows without including "Ted Lasso," arguably the show that put the streamer on the map and was nominated for a record-breaking 20 Emmys for its first season.

The show, born from a character created for an NBC Sports ad, starred Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, a college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a Premier League soccer team in England. For reasons revealed later in the show, Ted is very game to uproot his entire life.

But the reason for his hiring isn't altruistic — the team's new owner, Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), got ownership of the team in a bitter divorce and now wants to take the team down to piss off her ex-husband.

Much has been said and written about the quality of "Ted Lasso's" three seasons, but we maintain that the first season is as perfect as TV gets.

It's a beautiful story about meeting new people, what it means to be a leader, opening yourself up to love, and radical kindness and optimism. We needed it upon its premiere in 2020, and we're certain we'll need it again in 2025.

"Silo" is a dystopian thriller based on a series of novels by Graham Yost. It takes place on an Earth ravaged by warfare that has left the surface poisonous. Humanity has moved underground into a giant solo that's 144 levels deep.

Rebecca Ferguson plays Juliette, an engineer who works deep inside the Silo. She becomes curious about why everyone is forbidden from learning about the outside world and the death of her lover George (Ferdinand Kingsley) and begins to investigate what's actually going on in the Silo.

"Silo's" second season concludes on January 17 — but fear not, it's already been renewed for a third and fourth season to conclude the story.

We're still bitter about the cancellation of "Schmigadoon!," a love letter to classical musicals.

The show follows Josh and Melissa, a couple played by Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong, who happen upon the magical town of Schmigadoon while on a hike.

In the town, all the residents act like they are living inside a 1940s musical and break out into songs — of course, since the cast is made up of musical theater icons like Kristen Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Ariana DeBose, Jane Krakowski, Aaron Tveit, Tituss Burgess, Patrick Page, and more, it's an absolute hoot.

Season two, subtitled "Schimago," spoofs the darker musicals of the '60s and '70s. Since it was canceled after that, we'll never know what was set for season three, but it's made clear from the finale that it probably would've been poking fun at the mega-musicals of the '80s and '90s like "Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera."

However, "Schmigadoon" isn't gone for good. A stage adaptation is set to premiere in Washington, DC, this month, and hopefully, it will be transferred to Broadway.

All you need to know about "Loot" is that it stars Maya Rudolph as Molly, the wife of a billionaire who gets cheated on and is suddenly left with a lot of money, a lot of time, and zero purpose.

To fill her time, she decides to become involved in a foundation bearing her name instead of just being a figurehead. Hilarity ensues.

It was renewed for a third season in July 2024, meaning we'll have more of Molly's antics soon.

"The Afterparty," while being a TV show, was a true love letter to movie fans everywhere, as each episode took turns poking fun at a different genre with razor-sharp accuracy.

The first season of the show focused on the murder of pop star Xavier (Dave Franco) at the after-party of his high school reunion. As Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) asks each person to take her through the night, each person gets to tell their story in their preferred way.

For example, an episode from Xavier's former bandmate Yasper's perspective is an upbeat musical, while another classmate's night seemed straight out of "The Fast and the Furious."

Season two has a similar format, except it's about a wedding after-party, during which the groom was murdered.

It was canceled after two seasons, but at least we'll always have "Yeah Sure Whatever."

We don't want to spoil the midseason twist of "Sugar," a seemingly straightforward LA detective story starring Colin Farrell as John Sugar, a private investigator.

But rest assured: This show is bonkers. It is worth watching the eight episodes — and Apple agreed, as season two was greenlit in October 2024.

The medical drama stars Zachary Quinto as Oliver Wolf, a neurologist who uses unconventional and sometimes controversial methods to better understand and treat his patients. The finale aired on NBC on Tuesday, and it's now available to watch on the network's streamer, Peacock.

Streaming on: Peacock

In the jaw-dropping season one finale, Mark Scout (Adam Scott) and his fellow innies at Lumon Industries stage a rebellion that leaves audiences with shocking revelations and a massive cliffhanger. Season two picks up after those events, as Mark and his workplace friends face the consequences of trying to tamper with the severance barrier between their work and personal lives.

Streaming on: Apple TV+

After the drama of last season, Kitty Song Covey (Anna Cathcart) begins her spring semester at the Korean Independent School of Seoul (KISS) in season two of "XO, Kitty," plus Noah Centineo returns for a cameo as Peter Kavinsky.

Streaming on: Netflix

The six-episode limited series, which was released on AMC in 2024, continues Rick Grimes' (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne's (Danai Gurira) journey by tying up loose ends and offering closure for the couple's love story.

Streaming on: Netflix

The 2018 psychological horror movie, directed by Ari Aster and starring Toni Collette, centers on the Graham family. After their grandmother dies, secrets unravel about her, and disturbing forces take hold of the family.

Streaming on: Netflix

The A24 movie stars recent Golden Globe winner Sebastian Stan as Edward, an aspiring actor living with neurofibromatosis (NF), a rare genetic condition that causes typically benign tumors to grow on nerve cells throughout the body and on the skin.

After participating in an experimental drug trial, Edward embraces a new face and new alter-ego — until he meets the charismatic Oswald (Adam Pearson), who was also born with NF, but navigates the world with an ease and confidence that Edward never had.

Streaming on: Max

Based on the Dutch series "Nieuwe Buren," the steamy Starz show follows two couples in a suburban neighborhood whose lives become intertwined through betrayal and secrets.

Streaming on: Starz

In "Back in Action," former CIA operatives turned parents Emily (Diaz) and Matt (Foxx) are thrust back into the world of espionage after their covers are blown.

Streaming on: Netflix

"Unstoppable" is based on the true story of Anthony Robles (played by Jharrel Jerome), who was born with one leg and overcame adversity to join the Arizona State wrestling team and become an NCAA Champion.

After releasing in select theaters in December, the film is now available to watch on streaming.

Streaming on: Prime Video

Maya Jama returns as the host for season two of "Love Island: All Stars," which features 12 previous "Love Island UK" stars returning to the villa in South Africa in hopes of another chance at love.

Streaming on: Peacock

Shaffir pushes the boundaries of dark comedy in his latest comedy special, where he jokes about everything from white privilege and drug addiction to kids and adulthood.

Streaming on: Netflix

The three-part HBO docuseries, which debuted on Wednesday, explores the lucrative world of family vlogging through Ohio-based parents Myka and James Stauffer.

In 2020, the couple faced backlash after announcing they made the decision to place Huxley, their son whom they adopted from China, with a "new forever family."

Streaming on: Max

The documentary follows the rise to fame and recent allegations against the musician Sean "Diddy" Combs, who was charged with sex trafficking and racketeering and is now incarcerated in Brooklyn ahead of a criminal trial in May.

The docuseries includes never-before-seen archival footage of Combs and interviews from new people coming forward about their experiences with him.

Streaming on: Peacock

"SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night" is a four-part docuseries celebrating the 50th anniversary of "Saturday Night Live." It features never-before-seen footage, interviews with cast and crew, a behind-the-scenes look at the writers' room, a deep dive into the iconic "More Cowbell" skit, and a closer look at what went wrong during season 11.

Streaming on: Peacock

Season five of the adult animated series follows Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) as they move from Gotham City to Metropolis — the home of Superman, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor. When a catastrophic plan begins unfolding, Harley and her misfit friends must save Metropolis.

Streaming on: Max

Jace Norman reprises his role as the titular superhero in the full-length movie, which also includes the returns of other original cast members from the "Henry Danger" series.

In the film, a superfan named Missy Martin (Glee Dango) brings Henry to her world via a reality-altering device so they can fight crime together. To avoid getting stuck in an alternate reality, Henry must team up with Missy and his best friend Jasper (Sean Ryan Fox).

Streaming on: Paramount+

At my local Applebee's in Brooklyn, New York, nine classic bone-in wings were priced at $18.99, before tax and fees. The order included celery sticks and sides of ranch and blue cheese dipping sauces.

This year, Applebee's became the NFL's official grill and bar partner after the chain recognized significant overlap between its customer base and NFL fans.

"We know our guests are football fans," Applebee's chief marketing officer Joel Yashinsky told Business Insider.

The wings were tender and juicy, and the sauce had a rich, buttery flavor.

The Buffalo sauce struck a great balance between its spicy kick and savory, buttery notes, creating a well-rounded flavor. The meat inside was impressively juicy, and I appreciated the generous size of the wings.

My main gripe with Applebee's wings was the price: $18.99 for a plate of wings seemed steep, even though the wings were on the larger side. That said, prices may vary depending on the location you visit.

The wings from Applebee's and Buffalo Wild Wings ended up costing around the same amount per wing when I divided the price by how many wings I received. However, I would have liked the option to order fewer wings at Applebee's and pay less upfront.

Buffalo Wild Wings' Buffalo bone-in wings are arguably the chain's most iconic menu item, so I was excited to see how they would compare to wings from a classic chain like Applebee's. They definitely didn't disappoint.

I ordered a six-count of traditional Buffalo wings through the Buffalo Wild Wings app for $12.49, excluding tax and fees, and a side of ranch.

The wings were crispy and evenly coated with a light layer of Buffalo sauce that covered every inch. The order included a mix of drumsticks and flats, with the drumsticks standing out for being especially meaty.

The chicken inside the wings was moist and tender, and the crispy skin added a nice balance in terms of texture. The sauce, with its slightly sweet, spicy, and buttery flavor, enhanced the overall taste.

They tasted much like the wings I've made at home but without the time and effort required to cook them myself.

In terms of value, I found these wings to be an excellent deal for the price given their flavor and amount of meat on each wing. Their quality and flavor exceeded expectations, and I wouldn't hesitate to order them again.

On the outside, the restaurant's black awning with simple lettering felt elegant and welcoming.

Inside, Maggiano's ambiance reminded me of a high-end, pricey steakhouse or an authentic Italian restaurant. The candle-lit, chandelier-dotted interior felt quite intimate and cozy.

I didn't feel like I was in a chain restaurant at all. In fact, it reminded me of when I used to live in Baltimore and visit its Little Italy neighborhood for dinner.

The restaurant offers a family-style menu with shareable courses, including starters, an entrée, a pasta dish, and a dessert.

It seemed like a decent deal for about $50 a person. However, everyone in my party had specific cravings and wanted pasta, so we ordered from the regular menu instead.

To start off the meal, my husband ordered a Negroni ($9) while my teenagers and I stuck with sodas and iced tea ($5 each).

Later in the meal, my husband ordered an $18 glass of wine to go with his pasta, followed by a $5 cup of coffee with dessert.

He spent way more on drinks than others in our group — over $30 — but the three of us were content with our free refills.

Soon after we were seated, we were brought a basket of fresh, warm ciabatta bread and oil with herbs for dipping.

The bread was delicious, and we were served so many pieces that we even had some left to take home.

We started our meal by sharing the fried mozzarella for $16.

The crisp planks of battered and fried cheese were topped with melted mozzarella and served with a tomato dipping sauce.

Everyone at my table enjoyed this tasty appetizer, which felt like an elevated take on mozzarella sticks.

Topped with tasty croutons, Maggiano's tomato soup ($10.50) was a great starter for my soup-loving daughter. She really enjoyed it and even let me try a few bites.

The creamy soup tasted perfectly tangy and seasoned with just enough salt to make each bite perfect.

Before visiting any chain, I love checking out the dishes that have copycat recipes on social media. I found a lot of people making copycat versions of Maggiano's Rigatoni D pasta on TikTok, so I ordered it.

The dish includes rigatoni mixed with roasted chicken, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and marsala cream sauce.

It was really good, and I can see why TikTokers recreate the $28.50 dish. The generous portion size meant I took some of the pasta home. Fortunately, it was as delightful leftover as it was served fresh.

One of Maggiano's newer menu items is rigatoni alla vodka ($26.50), a combination of rigatoni, Calabrian chiles, caramelized onions, and vodka sauce.

My daughter added grilled chicken to the dish for an additional $8.50.

We're big fans of pasta with vodka sauce and make it at home often — even so, Maggiano's version of the dish held up.

This creamy pasta was really delicious, especially when eaten leftover the next day.

My son is a picky eater, so he kept his order simple with spaghetti and meatballs.

His $25.50 spaghetti dish was really good. It was full of classic Italian flavors, with tangy tomato sauce and hearty meatballs.

He had no complaints and also came home with leftovers.

Another fan-favorite dish at Maggiano's is lobster carbonara ($39), a blend of lobster, smoked bacon, sugar snap peas, white-wine truffle cream sauce, Parmesan, and spaghetti.

TikTok is also full of copycat recipes for this pasta dish, so we expected it to be pretty impressive. After all, what's not to love about creamy sauce, pasta, bacon, and lobster?

My husband thoroughly enjoyed this generously portioned dish.

Although I couldn't try it due to a shellfish allergy, he said it was everything he'd want from a carbonara, with just the right hints of creamy sauce and carb-y spaghetti to soak it all up.

Crème brûlée is my favorite dessert, so I'm sure to order it whenever it's on a menu. We were incredibly full from our evening of bread, fried cheese, and pasta, so we decided to share one $12.50 order of it.

I'm glad we shared because this dessert felt huge, just like the pasta dishes we had earlier. It was easily double the size of any crème brûlée I've had in a restaurant.

It was also delicious. As full as I was, I couldn't help but go back for bite after bite of this creamy, sugary, warm treat.

Our $230 dinner (including tax and before tip) included lots of drinks, a complimentary bread service, an appetizer, four giant pasta dishes, and a dessert.

Overall, it felt like a great value, and the atmosphere at Maggiano's rivaled any high-end chain we've visited.

We spent less on our meal here than we would at most steakhouse chains, but our dining experience felt just as high-end and high-quality.

Our table felt intimate and we were able to chat with our teenagers and have a great dinner together, something that's just as valuable to my husband and I as the food these days.

To save money next time, we might share dishes since the portion sizes are huge. I'd also consider coming back just to sit at the bar and have crème brûlée for dessert.

Based on my experience, I'd definitely return to Maggiano's and add it to the list of chain restaurants I'd visit with family again and again.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day became an officially observed holiday for schools, banks, and federal offices across the US in 1986 — making him the first non-president to have his birthday become a national holiday. 

However, it took a while for all 50 states to get on board with honoring the activist.

South Carolina was the final state to officially observe the national holiday in 2000. 

In the wake of Dr. King's death in 1968, several notable figures found ways to honor him and aid in the push for MLK Day.

By the late 1970s, President Jimmy Carter pledged his support of the holiday, but the King Holiday Bill didn't pass in Congress. 

To help garner support in the following years, Stevie Wonder wrote and recorded his song "Happy Birthday" in honor of Dr. King. He also joined the reverend's wife on a four-month tour to advocate for the holiday.

After the tour, they delivered a petition to the speaker of the house with 6 million names on it.

Dr. King's public-speaking talents date back to his teenage years when he won an oratory contest in Georgia for speaking on a topic titled "The Negro and the Constitution" when he was a teen. 

According to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford, in the orientation, he highlighted the contradictory nature of the US Constitution in the context of discrimination.

Dr. King's given name was actually Michael, after his father, the Rev. Michael King Sr.

In 1934, after King Sr. attended an international Baptist conference in Germany where he became inspired by the teachings of 16th-century religious thinker Martin Luther, he changed both his name and his son's. 

At the time, Dr. King was already 5 years old, so he remained "Mike" to his closest friends and family for the rest of his life.

In "The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.," Dr. King recounted his first personal experience with racism and segregation. 

As a child, his white friend suddenly refused to play with him anymore, and he credited this betrayal as the moment he first became interested in fighting against racism.

Dr. King enrolled in first grade at age 5, which was too young per the school's entry requirements, so his teacher expelled him. 

Years later, he was able to skip both the ninth and 12th grades because of his academic achievements. 

Instead of finishing the 12th grade and going through a formal high-school graduation, Dr. King was accepted into and enrolled at Morehouse College at age 15, where he completed a Bachelor's degree in sociology.

From an early age, Dr. King had an established paper route.

His work ethic allowed him to be promoted, and he became the youngest assistant manager for The Atlanta Journal delivery station at age 13.

Although he would later become a religious leader, as a teenager, Dr. King had a very different view of his faith.

In his autobiography, he wrote that he wasn't afraid to openly question everything he had been taught, even when it got him into trouble.

"At the age of 13, I shocked my Sunday school class by denying the bodily resurrection of Jesus," he wrote. "Doubts began to spring forth unrelentingly."

Dr. King didn't always plan on following in his father's footsteps and becoming a minister.

However, according to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford, after he took a bible course with Dr. George D. Kelsey, he was inspired to use ministry as a medium for social justice and racial reform.

Given his rich interest in academia, it makes sense that Dr. King graduated at the top of his class.

He was named valedictorian and honored with a fellowship that covered part of his graduate-study expenses.

On top of receiving two Bachelor's degrees (one in sociology from Morehouse College and the other in divinity from The Crozer Theological Seminary), King went on to earn a Ph.D. from Boston University in 1955, making him a doctor of philosophy. 

As if earning three degrees as a student wasn't enough, Washington State University reported that Dr. King was awarded honorary doctorates from Howard University, Bard College, Yale, Wesleyan, and many other higher-education institutions across the US and the world. 

Throughout most of his life, Dr. King was a voracious reader. He enjoyed delving into the works of great philosophers and thinkers like Socrates, Rousseau, and Aristotle.

But of all the great texts that influenced him, the essay "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau was perhaps the most impactful. 

According to his autobiography, Dr. King said Thoreau's belief that an individual should not cooperate with an evil system greatly influenced his worldview. It also inspired his belief in his own ability to enact social change at the individual level.

While studying at Boston University, Dr. King lamented to friends that he had yet to meet any woman he seriously liked. He then reached out to his friend, Mary Powell, who suggested he meet Coretta Scott.

The couple had their very first interaction over a brief phone call, during which they agreed to meet in person.

At the time, Scott was studying opera at The New England Conservatory for Music and hoped to be a concert singer.

Dr. King wrote in his autobiography, "She was a mezzo-soprano and I'm sure she would have gone on into this area if a Baptist preacher hadn't interrupted her life."

After spending several of his young-adult years in Boston, Dr. King reportedly referred to it as his second home.

He returned to the New England city several times throughout the rest of his life.

Dr. King married Scott on June 18, 1953, in Alabama.

After enjoying a beautiful ceremony lead by King Sr., the couple looked for a place to stay for the night.

At the time, no hotels in their area welcomed black couples as guests, so the pair spent their first night together at a family friend's house — but he happened to be an undertaker who worked out of his home.

The King family moved from Atlanta to Montgomery, Alabama, when the famous 1956 bus boycott — a citywide protest against racialized segregation on public transit — began.

At the time, King was only 26 and pretty much unknown in activist spaces, though he had previously expressed interest in social justice.

He originally opposed the boycott because he worried that it was unethical to put people's jobs at risk.

But when he realized the ultimate goal behind the protest, he volunteered to use his church's basement as a meeting spot for boycott organizers. During their first meeting, the group elected Dr. King as their president because no one else stood up to take the role.

He then wrote his very first public, political speech in less than an hour. 

His collected works include "Stride Toward Freedom," "Where Do We Go From Here," and "Why We Can't Wait," which all document the rise of civil-rights movements in the US. 

Additionally, he published a book of his most-requested sermons, a collection of his broadcasted addresses, and an autobiography.

During his short, 12-year career in the public eye, Dr. King delivered an astounding number of public speeches.

It's estimated that between his weekly sermons at church and media appearances, he spoke about 450 times a year.

Although the famed "I Have a Dream" speech will always hold a special place in history, it certainly wasn't the only memorable address he delivered during his life.

The day before Dr. King was assassinated, he gave a speech in Memphis, Tennessee, to offer support for sanitation workers who had received unfair treatment from their bosses.

The goal of this address was to push for union representation, safer working conditions, and living wages. 

He told the crowd, "And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land."

In the aftermath of his death, some people found the language he used to be an eerie indication that he knew his death was imminent.

One of Dr. King's most controversial addresses went on to receive a high honor.

The speech, referred to as "Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam" and "Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam," was recorded on vinyl and earned him a postmortem Grammy for best spoken-word recording in 1970.

In 1958, a woman approached Dr. King at a book-signing event in New York City and stabbed him with a letter opener.

The attack resulted in a life-threatening injury close to his heart, but he received prompt emergency medical care and survived.

In October 1960, Dr. King was jailed for participating in a sit-in protest at a Georgia department store. At the time, Senator John F. Kennedy (JFK) was running against Richard Nixon for the US presidency.

Although Kennedy was a registered democrat, his views on civil rights and racial justice had been unclear.

However, upon learning of the reverend's unjust treatment by the police department, a key advisor told Kennedy that his response to the situation would determine his voter turnout in the election.

As a result, Kennedy called Scott King and personally offered her his support.

Many historians credit this action to the large Black voter turnout in the 1960 election and Kennedy's eventual win. 

One of the staff members who worked at the hotel where Dr. King was assassinated died shortly after the reverend did.

The motel owner's wife was so traumatized by the sight and sound of his death that it caused her to suffer from a fatal stress-induced heart attack.

Throughout the 1960s, the scope of Dr. King's activism work went beyond civil rights and into economic justice.

He increasingly used his platform to advocate for causes like guaranteed annual income and healthcare.

However, he also vocalized his strong opposition to the Vietnam War, which caused him to lose a significant amount of American approval, according to Jenn M. Jackson's MLK feature for Teen Vogue.

During the 1963 March on Washington, Dr. King delivered a monumental speech that had been well-prepared by his speechwriter, Clarence Jones.

But the more he spoke in front of that 250,000-person crowd, the more impassioned he grew, which led him to go off course toward the end of the speech.

Those famous, poetic lines that nearly everyone in the US can quote — "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up … " — were improvised.

Once Dr. King became president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he began traveling all over the world to deliver speeches about the importance of fighting for racial equality.

Some of his notable trips include his visit to Ghana, where he celebrated the country's independence, his overnight stint in the UK, where he accepted an honorary degree from Newcastle University, and his pilgrimage to India, where he met the followers of Mahatma Gandhi.

In 1964, King received this global honor for his unwavering commitment to civil rights, nonviolence, and helping the US government move toward making discrimination unlawful.

He was 35 years old then, making him the youngest male recipient to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 

But five women — Malala Yousfazi (17), Mairead Corrigan (32), Tawakkol Karman (32) Betty Williams (33), Rigoberta Menchú Tum (33) — received the award at younger ages. 

There are currently dozens of statues and monuments commemorating Dr. King across the US and the world — including one in England at Westminster Abbey and another in Cuba.

That doesn't include the countless schools and 1,000-plus streets named after him across the globe. 

Dr. King's religious upbringing greatly influenced his love for music. His mom was even an organist for the church he attended during his childhood.

From the time he was a young boy, he sang in a gospel choir and believed in the healing power of music, especially hymns. He later went on to call singers like Mahalia Jackson and Nina Simone his favorite artists.

He enjoyed jazz music, too.

He even traveled to Berlin and delivered the opening address for the 1964 Jazz Festival titled "On the Importance of Jazz."

According to biographer and historian Taylor Branch, Dr. King's final conversation was with a saxophonist named Ben Branch.

The reverend reportedly asked the musician to play his favorite song, the hymn "Precious Lord, Take My Hand," at an event they were both scheduled to attend later that evening.

However, Dr. King never got to hear Branch's rendition of the song. Moments after making this request, he was assassinated on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. 

This story was originally published in January 2019 and most recently updated on January 17, 2025. 

Read More:

• 7 of Martin Luther King Jr.'s family members who have continued his legacy
• Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat 64 years ago — here are 15 surprising facts about her
• 15 iconic moments in the LGBTQ rights movement from the last decade
• 21 of the most important human rights milestones in the last 100 years

This spoof on the religious movie genre makes fun of everyone from Oprah to Tyler Perry. And yes, Foxx plays God.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 13% 

Set in the near future, the US Navy has developed a new AI-powered fighter jet. But when the computer develops a mind of its own, it falls to Foxx and his partners played by Josh Lucas and Jessica Biel to stop the computer before it sparks a new world war.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 13%

Foxx and Taron Egerton lead this modern reimagining of the classic tale of a heroic outlaw and his Merry Men who mount an audacious revolt against the corrupt English crown. 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 14% 

Michael Dawson (Foxx) is a successful businessman, but his life starts to fall apart while on a road trip with his wife (Nia Long) when she discovers that he splashed their entire savings to buy the car. She ditches him hitch-hiking back home while he gets stuck in the middle of an unwelcoming rural town.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 17%

Through a series of intertwining vignettes, audiences watch a group of Los Angeles natives navigate their way through the highs and lows of dating on Valentine's Day. As the days quickly unfold, they experience first dates, make-ups, break-ups, and youthful crushes.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 18%

Foxx and Diaz play CIA agents who go into hiding to start a family. 15 years later, their cover is blown, and after their kids are kidnapped, they must get back into the espionage game to get them back.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 21%

Foxx plays a "social renegade" who teams with a detective (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) to track down the detective's daughter, who has been kidnapped by a satanic cult.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 24%

Foxx stars as an undercover Las Vegas police officer who is thrown into the high-stakes world of murderous gangsters and corrupt cops after a failed heist results in the kidnapping of his teenage son.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 25%

After landing in jail for petty theft, Alvin Sanders (Foxx) ends up sharing a cell with the notorious criminal John Jaster who is serving a long sentence for stealing $40,000,000 worth of gold from the Federal Reserve. Realizing that he is sick and could die at any moment, Jaster uses Sanders to send covert messages to his wife about the location of the hidden gold. 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 26% 

Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is a normal, law abiding citizen until his family is murdered during a botched home invasion and the killer is set free thanks to a plea bargain offered by the prosecutor Nick Rice (Foxx).  In response, Shelton takes justice into his own hands.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 26% 

Foxx leads this new, progressive take on the classic tale of "Annie," about a young orphan who longs for her parents to return and save her from the clutches of her mean foster mother.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 28%

Rushon (Tommy Davidson) is ready to take thing things to the next level with his girlfriend Nikki (Tamala Jones). But when he sets up a romantic date, she decides to make it a double-date and brings along her close friend Lysterine (Vivica A. Fox) who Rushon sets up with his extravagant friend Bunz (Foxx). 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 31%

After being unceremoniously dumped by his fiancée, Quincy Watson (Foxx) writes a book on the correct way to end a relationship. And after the book is published, it becomes a surprising bestseller.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 31%

To stay on top of her bills, Diana Armstrong (LisaRaye) starts stripping and joins the infamous Player's Club where she meets the smooth-talking DJ played by Foxx.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 35%

Three friends decide to quit their jobs and go into business for themselves. And after creating the prototype for a promising new invention, the guys attract the attention of a businessman who steals their idea. In response, the trio concocts a kidnapping scheme with a small-time criminal called Dean "Motherfucker" Jones (Foxx).

Rotten Tomatoes score: 36%

Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.), a successful architect, is flying home from Atlanta to Los Angeles to be with his wife who is about to give birth. On the way to the airport, he has a chance encounter with Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), but after Ethan uses the words "terrorist" and "bomb" while talking to Peter, they are both escorted off the plane and placed on a no-fly list.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 39%

Boxing promoter the Rev. Fred Sultan (Samuel L. Jackson) realizes that the only way to gain publicity for his top Black clients is to pit them against white boxers. But when there no white boxers available, he gets creative. 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 42%

Based on the 1980s TV show of the same name, Michael Mann's action-packed thriller follows Miami-Dade Police detectives James "Sonny" Crockett (Farrell) and Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs (Foxx) whose personal and professional lives become dangerously intertwined during a high-profile drug case.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 47%

The 3D computer-animated musical follows a family of Blue macaws birds who decide to relocate from the city to the Amazon jungle to become more in touch with their fellow birds.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%

Just as Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) embraces his new role as the city's new hero, Electro (Foxx), a much more powerful villain, arrives on the scene and poses the biggest threat Parker has ever faced.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%

After being set the most important assignment of his career, federal agent Ron Fleury (Foxx) is given one week to assemble a killer team and infiltrate a terrorist cell based in Saudi Arabia.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 51%

Partly based on a 1984 novel of the same name, "Any Given Sunday" follows Al Pacino as the head coach of a once-revered football team with star players who are now struggling to win a single game. Foxx plays a bench warmer turned star quarterback who lets the game go to his head.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 52%

Police officer John Cale (Channing Tatum) has just failed to land his dream job of protecting President James Sawyer (Foxx) as a member of the Secret Service. And in an attempt to cheer up his young daughter, Cale takes her on a tour of the White House. But during the tour, an armed militia group attacks and takes control.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 52%

Will Ferrell voices a terrier named Reggie who has become a stray after his owner (Will Forte) pulls a trick on him. Now, Reggie and other strays he's befriended (voiced by Foxx, Isla Fisher, Rob Riggle, Randall Park, and Josh Gad) set out to get revenge on Reggie's owner.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 54%

Foxx plays a pool cleaner in the San Fernando Valley by day whose real job is secretly hunting and killing vampires by night. Come for the action sequences, and stay for Snoop Dogg killing vampires.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 57% 

Journalist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) is wandering through LA's Skid Row district when he spots a homeless man (Foxx) playing a two-stringed violin.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 57% 

Jake Gyllenhaal and Foxx join forces for acclaimed British director Sam Mendes's first-person account of life at war.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 60%

In near-future New Orleans, Frank (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) teams up with a rogue ex-soldier (Foxx) to track down the origins of a dangerous new drug that provides its users with temporary superpowers.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 61%

Tiffany (Foxx) and his crew of con artists are looking to expand their criminal portfolio and decide to scam Dean "The Dean" Stevens (Dina Merrill), a well-known poker player during a rigged game.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

The Michael Mann-directed biopic focuses on ten years in the life of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, played by Will Smith, starting with his championship debut against Sonny Liston to his conversion to Islam, banishment from boxing, and finally, his triumphant return in 1974.

Rotten Tomatoes: 69%

One night at a bar, three friends decide to murder their overbearing and abusive bosses, and they turn to a random and seemingly inexperienced criminal (Foxx) for advice.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 69%

A set of exotic Brazilian birds are smuggled to the United States where they live a domesticated life but when Blu, a rare bird, realizes he might be the last of his species on earth, he decides to travel back home. 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%

Three talented singers form a music trio called the Dreamettes, and they quickly find success after they are spotted by talent scout manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Foxx). But the group starts to unravel as Taylor's management becomes increasingly cruel and overbearing.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%

Foxx, in perhaps his most memorable performance, transforms into the legendary Blues musician Ray Charles who lost his sight at age 9 but would go on to define a generation of American music.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%

After graduating from Harvard Law school, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) leaves for Alabama to open a law clinic dedicated to defending death row inmates. One of his first cases is Walter McMillian (Foxx), who was sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl despite overwhelming evidence proving his innocence.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

A popular radio show host (Janeane Garofalo) is asked out on a date by one of her listeners, but when she backs out due to nerves she sends her friend Noelle (Uma Thurman) in her place.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

Foxx plays an LA cab driver who realizes that the friendly passenger he's been driving around is actually a deadly hitman who has been executing murders all evening. And the final person on the kill list is one of his friends.

Foxx earned a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for this role in the same year he won the best actor Oscar for "Ray."

Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%

In 1858, three years before the civil war, Django (Foxx), a freed slave from the South, sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner with the help of an enigmatic German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz).

Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%

Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a talented getaway driver for Atlanta's most dangerous criminals. But after he meets the woman of his dreams (Lily James), he decides to leave the business — until he is forced into one more big gig by an enigmatic crime boss (Kevin Spacey). Foxx plays one of the thugs Baby drives around.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

Based on true events, Foxx plays Willie E. Gary, an unconventional lawyer who helps a funeral home owner with financial troubles (Tommy Lee Jones) save his family business from a corporate behemoth.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

Seven years after showing up in the Marvel universe in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," Foxx got another shot at the MCU appearing as one of the villains three Peter Parkers (Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire) must face off with.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%

In this acclaimed Pixar movie, Foxx plays Joe Gardner, a middle school teacher and aspiring jazz pianist who falls into a coma after an accident and must unite his soul and body in time for his big break as a jazz musician.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

Foxx, Teyonah Parris, and John Boyega give outstanding performances as a trio who set out to uncover a government cloning conspiracy.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

To make Garten's penne alla vodka for four, you'll need:

• ¾ pound penne (Garten recommends DeCecco)
• 2 ½ cups chopped yellow onions
• 2 28-ounce cans of whole-peeled plum tomatoes, drained
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 cup vodka
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)
• ¼ cup good olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves (plus extra for serving)
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

I chopped my yellow onions and minced my garlic cloves in a matter of minutes.

I cooked my onions over medium-low heat for about five minutes, until they turned translucent.

I cooked my veggies and herbs together for one minute.

Garten says to simmer everything together for about five to seven minutes, until the mixture has reduced by half. (It took me about five minutes.)

I crushed each whole tomato into the pot with my hand, per Garten's instructions.

The sauce needs to bake for an hour and 30 minutes, so I started cooking long before I was hungry for dinner.

I know it's not the quickest meal, but I promise this dish is worth the wait!

I brought a large pot of water to a boil and added the penne and two tablespoons of salt. I cooked my pasta until it was al dente, which took about 10 minutes. Then, I drained my noodles and set them aside.

Garten says to purée the tomato mixture until smooth using a blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade.

I seasoned the mixture with one teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper and added the fresh oregano and heavy cream.

It reminded me of the legendary vodka pasta at Jon & Vinny's in Los Angeles (a Kardashian favorite).

Garten says your sauce should simmer for 10 minutes.

I let the pasta cook in the sauce for an additional two minutes.

It was time to eat!

This is, without a doubt, the most beautiful pasta I've ever made.

The sauce's vivid color made Garten's penne alla vodka the star of my dinner table, and I loved the extra pop of color from the fresh oregano.

Ever since I began ranking Garten's pasta dishes back in May 2021, nothing has come close to topping her weeknight Bolognese. But after one bite of the penne alla vodka, I knew that would change.

This pasta dish is simply fantastic. The sauce is so creamy and smooth without being heavy and overwhelming. Slowly roasting the tomato sauce in the oven added depth and complexity to the vodka sauce, which I actually loved even more than my favorite from Jon & Vinny's. My only wish was that I had made some of Garten's "outrageous" garlic bread to go with it!

While Garten's pasta needs some extra time in the oven, it doesn't require that many steps. The actual prep and cooking were pretty minimal, but the penne still looked impressive.

Whether you need a dish to dazzle everyone with or just want a comforting bowl of penne as temperatures dip, there's truly no better pasta than this.