There is still a bit of a wait until the return of Justin Hartley‘s hit CBS show Tracker but the first photos from the midseason premiere tease a familiar face — and a spooky new one.
Tracker returns to CBS on Sunday, February 16, with an episode focused around Colter’s (Hartley) case about Gina Picket’s disappearance. After getting a tip from retired cop Keaton (guest star Brent Sexton), the duo work together to track down a serial killer known as The Teacher. The stills from the upcoming episode also reveal that Ryan Dorsey’s character Frank Whales is back after being introduced earlier this season.
Meanwhile, in another moment from the episode, Nicholas Lea is credited as a character named Noah Darview who dons a creepy mask. The midseason premiere is expected to pick up immediately after Colter received a break in his white whale case.
“We got into something. Wasn’t our fault, heavy stuff — we didn’t have a choice,” a former associate of Frank’s told Colter about working for someone called Teacher. “[He] knew things about us. Bad stuff. Held it over our heads. Even the others. He kept a long line of pretty boys to do his bidding.”
Teacher made Frank lure Gina to a place called The Farm. “He said he planted things there,” the unnamed man added before Colter asked if Gina was still alive. The episode cut to black before a “To be continued” message appeared on screen.
“When [Gina disappears], Colter makes a promise to [her sister] Camille — and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he never promises [his clients] anymore. He says, ‘I will bring her home … I will bring him home,’” he told TVLine in October 2024. “He says, ‘I am going to do my best … to try.’ This is why.”
Hartley teased how digging into Colter’s past with Camille (Floriana Lima) will unlock more details, adding, “[This story line] has been built in a way that, when you look at it, you go, ‘Oh man, that was a pivotal moment in Colter’s life that changed the way he approaches his work and his relationships with other people.'”
Darko Sikman/CBS
Despite the 11-week wait for more answers, Trackeris having a successful sophomore return on CBS. The season 2 premiere in October 2024 brought in 8.3 million total viewers, which was nearly 10 percent up in viewership from the season 1 finale. The season 2 premiere also marked the show’s highest audience since the series debuted in February 2024 after the Super Bowl.
Tracker has since been coined the most-watched broadcast premiere since NCIS’ final episode with Mark Harmon in September 2021. Its average viewership is 18.2 million per episode according to their Paramount+ and broadcast measurements. Variety’s annual list of the year’s 100 most-watched primetime telecasts revealed that Tracker episodes earned 15 spots.
Tracker returns to CBS Sunday, February 16, at 8 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.
The cast of Goosebumps: The Vanishing revealed whether they watched the first season — or spoke to the original stars of the show — after the anthology shakeup.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Ana Ortiz, Elijah M. Cooper, Galilea La Salvia, Francesca Noel, Stony Blyden, Sam McCarthy and Jayden Bartels discussed how they prepared to join a show that previously had a different cast and story.
“I think because of the anthology nature of it, it’s natural to keep it as new as possible,” Blyden, 28, who plays Trey, said about not spending too much dwelling on what came before. “But it was a fantastic season.”
Cooper, meanwhile, was a big fan ofGoosebumps, adding, “It really was a great watch. I watched the first season multiple times too. It was legitimately iconic.”
La Salvia, 21, who brings Frankie to life, couldn’t help but agree. “I definitely watched season 1 and I remember we would talk about it when we first got on set,” she recalled. “Like we would say, ‘Did you see the cliffhanger? Did you see this? Did you see that?’ It was really fun.”
The horror series originally premiered in October 2023 and took inspiration from R.L. Stine‘s popular horror novels. Goosebumps was introduced as a show that followed five teenagers who had to work together after accidentally releasing supernatural forces into their small town. While trying to recapture the evil spirits, the group unlocked secrets of their parents’ pasts.
Goosebumps initially starred Isa Briones, Ana Yi Puig, Zack Morris, Miles McKenna and Will Price as the show’s protagonists. However, when the series was renewed four months later, Disney confirmed there would be a cast and story shakeup. Season 2 is centered around twins who are sent to spend a summer in Brooklyn with their divorced dad (David Schwimmer) whose plant-testing takes a sinister turn.
“I’m someone who usually does approach things with a fresh perspective,” Noel, who portrays Alex, noted. “I saw the pilot of this. But I wanted to come into it differently because it’s a totally different world, and New York is very particular. And one of the great things about Goosebumps is that there are so many books. So there are so many stories that we could keep telling for 20 seasons.”
Ortiz had a similar experience where she “watched the first season” but “didn’t talk to any of the cast” from those episodes. Then there is Bartels, who researched season 1 before diving into playing Cece.
“I definitely would say I wanted to know the vibe and get that knowledge. But I think that it definitely was a fresh slate in another way too. It’s the same series, but I definitely wanted for my character and my performance to do what I felt was authentic and genuine,” she explained to Us. “We definitely pulled from the vibe of the first season, but this is a new story line and a lot of things are different. It’s all the same Goosebumps scares though.”
McCarthy agreed with Bartels’ take, adding, “[Season 1] was almost separate from the work I did.”
The shift wasn’t just felt in front of the camera but behind it as well. Executive producers Rob Letterman and Hilary Winston told Us about the challenges that came with starting from scratch in the same universe.
“When we switched into an anthology, it really fit what Goosebumps is. So if you’re fan of the books, you know that R.L. Stine doesn’t write happily ever after at the end of the books. In fact, he goes out of his way not to do that,” Letterman noted. “He leaves it with a cliffhanger or a twist. So when we looked at the ending of season 1, it just kind of felt like the perfect Goosebumps ending for what that story line was.”
They aren’t, however, ruling out a Goosebumps “multiverse.” There was also an effort to keep some aspects similar for returning viewers.
“Season 2 we wanted to swing the pendulum and do something different. But we also wanted fans of the first season to feel comfortable in the model of what the storytelling was. So that’s how we kept that structure of a mystery we have to unpack,” Letterman continued. “Something happened 30 years ago, and each character that you meet gets their own monster story line and they cross paths, and then by the middle of the season they’re figuring out it’s all related to what happened in the past.”
He concluded: “We liked that framing device but we wanted to tell something totally new and fresh. It’s a nice balancing act for keeping the familiarity of the Goosebumps TV series going while doing it as an anthology.”
Goosebumps is currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
David M. Benett/Getty Images; Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Lord Ivar Mountbatten lived up to his name by finding a way to bring up Meghan Markle and Prince Harry during his first scene on season 3 of The Traitors.
During the premiere, which was released on Thursday, January 9, Ivar, 61, was asked what made him a public figure. “I was born with a very nice last name. Mountbatten,” he noted. “It is one of the royal family’s surnames.”
Ivar noted the connection to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, adding, “Harry and Meghan’s children are called Mountbatten-Windsor. [King Charles III] is my second cousin.”
The British aristocrat recalled making headlines that put him into the spotlight.
“I was married for 17 years to a woman and I had three kids,” he said about his ex-wife, Penny Mountbatten. “Then we parted company and I married a bloke [James Coyle]. Because I have a famous last name, it was all over the newspapers.”
Despite not being a working member of the royal family, Ivar was considered as such by his fellow contestants. Chrishell Stause said the royals need “a little queerness” in response to Ivar’s revelation about his personal life while Bob the Drag Queen called Ivar “the first gay royal.”
Lord Ivar Mountbatten on The TraitorsPeacock
Ivar wasn’t always on friendly terms with the rest of the cast though. By the end of the second episode, the first group elimination almost led to Ivar being voted off. The tense conversation caused Bob the Drag Queen to explain his reason for choosing Ivar as a possible Traitor.
“If there is anyone who can keep a secret, it is a royal,” he quipped to Ivar.
Ivar’s connection to the royals is through his dad, David Mountbatten, who is the 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven. Ivar is the grandson of Prince George of Battenberg and the great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria. His father was the cousin of Prince Philip who married Queen Elizabeth II in 1947, making Ivar the first cousin once removed of Philip, a third cousin once removed of Elizabeth and Charles’ second cousin.
“In later years, I would sit with him and ask endless questions about my father. It was wonderful to have someone who could tell me everything about him,” Ivar, whose dad died in 1970, said to The Telegraph in April 2021. “Prince Philip was a wonderful listener; you could tell him anything as long as you were being honest and forthright. He was happy to listen to your thoughts. But if he had some advice he thought you ought to hear, he’d give it to you.”
New episodes of The Traitors are released on Peacock Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
The winter TV schedule is overflowing with highly anticipated premieres and returns including The Pitt, Severance, The White Lotus and more.
HBO’s The Pitt, which premieres in January, marks Noah Wyle‘s return to medical dramas 15 years after his role as John Carter on ER. The series is described as “a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today’s America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh.”
The first season offers a unique glimpse into working as a medical professional with 15 episodes showcasing 15 hours of one shift. In addition to Wyle, The Pitt stars Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Marron Ball, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez and Katherine LaNasa.
Hulu is also expanding its media library with Paradise. The upcoming drama reunites This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman with Sterling K. Brown on a show shrouded with mystery. Paradise features a star-studded cast including Julianne Nicholson, James Marsden and Sarah Shahi.
Scroll on for more new and returning shows this winter:
Selling the City introduced Us to the latest reality show from Selling Sunset creator Adam DiVello. The series follows Eleonora Srugo's real estate group at Douglas Elliman, which consists of Taylor Middleton, Jade Chan, Abigail Godfrey, Jordyn Taylor Braff, Gisselle Meneses Nunez and Justin Tuinstra. Former Million Dollar Listing New York's Steve Gold, who currently works for The Corcoran Group, also makes various appearances throughout the season. (January 3)
The Fox medical drama is based on Italian TV series Nelle tue mani about a doctor who loses her memory in a car accident and wakes up to find her entire life has changed. Molly Parker leads the cast of Doc alongside Omar Metwally, Amirah Vann, Jon Ecker, Anya Banerjee, Scott Wolf and Patrick Walker. (January 7)
Tim Allen returns to sitcoms after success with Home Improvement and Last Man Standing. This time around, Allen plays a widowed father named Matt while fellow comedy star Kat Dennings is his estranged daughter, Riley. (January 8)
The hit reality series brings together stars from different franchises as they compete in a mafia-style game for up to $250,000. Season 3 of The Traitors features Robyn Dixon, Dolores Catania, Dorinda Medley, Chanel Ayan, Wells Adams, Gabby Windey and Ciara Miller. The competition series also stars Chrishell Stause, Rob Mariano (Boston Rob), Jeremy Collins, Carolyn Wiger, Tony Vlachos, Bob the Drag Queen, Britney Haynes and Danielle Reyes. Bob Harper, Dylan Efron, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Sam Asghari and Nikki Bella make up the rest of the cast. (January 9)
HBO's The Pitt follows the daily lives of healthcare professionals in a Pittsburgh hospital as they juggle personal crises, workplace politics and the emotional toll of treating critically ill patients. (January 9)
In Wolf Entertainment’s first scripted streaming series, On Call is a gritty drama that utilizes bodycam, dash-camera and cellphone footage to follow cops in the field with Troian Bellisario, Brandon Larracuente, Lori Loughlin and Eriq La Salle in leading roles. (January 9)
R.L. Stine's literary work continues to grow with season 2 of the anthology series introducing a new cast and story centered around twins Cece (Jayden Bartels) and Devin (Sam McCarthy) who are sent to spend a summer in Brooklyn with their divorced dad (David Schwimmer). They quickly realize that dark secrets are among them, with Schwimmer’s character specifically taking inspiration from the book Stay Out of the Basement about a dad who does plant-testing until things take a turn. (January 10)
Kitty's (Anna Cathcart) adventures in South Korea continue as she navigates her feelings for Min-Ho (Sang Heon Lee) and Yuri (Gia Kim) on season 2 of the hit Netflix series. (January 16)
Fans have been waiting since 2022; at last, the sinister Lumon Industries is back in business! After employees agreed the company could literally separate their work and home selves, some memories were revealed to the "innies" played by Adam Scott etc — and there will be consequences for the higher-ups. Watch for Gwendoline Christie and Alia Shawkat. (January 17)
The first 9-1-1 spinoff is wrapping up its fifth and final season after remaining but the franchise will expand elsewhere with cocreators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear hinting at another location setting the scene for a new spinoff. (January 20)
On The Night Agent, the FBI’s Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) has ditched phone duty and works for Night Action (alongside Brittany Snow’s Alice). But wait, could there be a mole? (January 23)
Pencil this in after Elsbeth and Matlock as the latest in CBS’ run of intriguing, slightly quirky crime dramas. Morris Chestnut plays the title character, who, after the death of Sherlock Holmes at the hand of the detective’s iconic foe, Moriarty, is in Pittsburgh puzzling out medical mysteries à la Hugh Laurie’s House. We’re just gonna ask: Is Holmes really dead? (January 26)
According to the official synopsis, Paradise is set in a "serene community inhabited by some of the world's most prominent individuals." But their tranquility explodes "when a shocking murder occurs and a high-stakes investigation unfolds." (January 28)
The stakes have never been higher as Matty (Kathy Bates) runs the risk of getting exposed amid her secret investigation into Jacobson Moore. Elsewhere, Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) and Julian (Jason Ritter) try to figure out the next chapter in their relationship. (January 30)
Netflix has hit it big with spy guys in the past year, so new cases can’t come urgently enough! On The Recruit, CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo) was more sloppy than James Bond– savvy in protecting a former asset, so he has to prove himself on a South Korean mission with a badass intelligence agent (Teo Yoo). (January 30)
Melissa Roxburgh is back on our TV screens after Manifest with a crime procedural that follows a team of investigators assembled to track down and capture the most dangerous killers ever seen after they escape from a top-secret prison that's not supposed to exist. (February 3)
After waiting for more than a year, Sweet Magnolias is finally back for season 4 as we check in with Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott) and Helen (Heather Headley) in the fictional South Carolina town of Serenity. (February 6)
Hilary Swank and Joel McHale step into the fray for the wild drama's third season, which arrives with the tagline "The Past Will Come Back to Haunt You." Yes, lives are threatened in the present day, while the 1990s flashbacks to teen girls stranded in the wilderness could see a meltdown — and not just in terms of the snow. (February 14)
Hopefully the rest of season 2 will answer every burning question we have about Gina's disappearance so Colter (Justin Hartley) can solve his only cold case. (February 16)
Season 3 is set in Thailand, featuring another star-studded cast that includes Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook, Jason Isaacs, Lalisa Manobal, Michelle Monaghan, Sam Nivola, Lek Patravadi, Parker Posey, Natasha Rothwell, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Tayme Thapthimthong and Aimee Lou Wood. (February 16)
The procedural follows a sister (Leighton Meester) and brother (Luke Cook) detective team as they deal with colorful residents, a serious lack of resources and their very complicated dynamic with each other and their police chief father, played by Clancy Brown. (February 19)
The limited series is described as a political conspiracy thriller centering on a devastating global cyberattack with Robert De Niro, Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Connie Britton, Bill Camp, Dan Stevens, Angela Bassett and more. (February 20)
A spinoff was inevitable after the OG Suits — with Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle at an NYC law firm — monopolized Netflix in 2023. In Suits: LA, Stephen Amell’s Ted Black is a former East Coast prosecutor (his exit is a bit of a mystery) whose West Coast firm is in crisis. Josh McDermitt and Bryan Greenberg costar — and Macht has hinted at a return for suave Harvey Specter. (February 22)
Season 2 centers on Spencer's (Brandon Sklena) arduous journey home as he races against time to save his family — and the Dutton legacy — in Montana. (February 23)
The upcoming series stars Melissa Fumero, Aja Naomi King, AnnaSophia Robb and Ben Rappaport in a show about four members of a suburban gardening club who share a murderous secret. (February 23)
According to the synopsis, Beyond the Gates takes place in a "posh gated community" in "one of the most affluent African American counties" just outside of Washington, D.C. The Duprees are at the center of the show as "the very definition of Black royalty" in the luxurious Fairmont Crest community. (February 24)
Will the second half of Doctor Odyssey's debut season reveal whether Max (Joshua Jackson) or Tristan (Sean Teale) are the father of Avery's (Phillipa Soo) unborn baby? One can only hope. (March 6)
Inspired by The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Andersen Brower, the series revolves around a fictional murder scandal involving the staff of the White House. Uzo Aduba leads the cast, which also features Randall Park, Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Jane Curtin, Jason Lee, Ken Marino and more. (March 20)
The Studio follows a legacy Hollywood movie studio striving to survive in a world where it is increasingly difficult for art and business to live together. Seth Rogen, Catherine O'Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders and more make up the cast. (March 26)
From the always funny Mindy Kaling: Kate Hudson shoots and scores as Isla Gordon, the unlikely new boss of the family-owned L.A. Waves basketball team. She knows the game, but her brothers (Justin Theroux, Scott MacArthur and Drew Tarver) don't exactly have her back. But as she orchestrates her first big deal and checks players' egos, you will cheer just like you did for Ted Lasso. (winter 2025)
Zac Efron‘s brother Dylan Efron has already made a lasting impression onThe Traitors — but what else is there to know about the season 3 contestant?
The Traitors, which premiered in January 2025, brought together reality TV stars from various franchises as they competed in a mafia-style game for up to $250,000. Despite appearing to be a natural on camera, Dylan previously admitted that he wasn’t sure he wanted to follow in his brother’s acting footsteps.
“I’ve been behind the camera. But being able to not stay behind the scenes has been a really nice change,” Dylan exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2023 about his plans to try something new. “So I think as long as I can kind of wear all those hats and still kind of craft the stories I want to tell [that would be great]. To be able to experience it firsthand, it’s really nice. It’s a good mix of both worlds.”
While Zac rose to stardom after landing a multitude of TV and movie roles, Dylan enjoyed playing a smaller role behind the scenes. His transition to taking part in a competition show came after Dylan previously admitted he wasn’t trying to pretend to be someone he wasn’t.
“What Zac does, I could never do. I play myself in front of a camera while Zac’s playing characters. It is two different skill sets,” he added at the time. “He can play different characters and I can only play myself.”
Dylan’s commitment to staying true to himself should serve him well on The Traitors. Keep scrolling for everything to know about Dylan Efron amid his stint on the Peacock series:
What Does Dylan Actually Do?
When asked by Wells Adams during the Traitors season 3 premiere, Dylan said he is best known for his work on “social media.” But Dylan has left a lasting impression online courtesy of his sweet bond with brother Zac and his work in the entertainment industry.
Dylan got his start as a physical production coordinator on movies like Jersey Boys, American Sniper, Get Hard and The Accountant. From there, Dylan went on to become an assistant on Unforgettable, Ready Player One and A Star Is Born. His most recent work consisted of performing stunts on Disney+’s shows The Mandalorian and Ahsoka.
To follow the Efrons on social media is to bless your timeline with adorable family photos featuring Dylan and Zac’s younger siblings. The brother’s parents were married for nearly two decades before calling it quits in 2016. Dylan and Zac’s father, David Efron, ultimately moved on with second wife Jenny and they welcomed kids Olivia and Henry.
“My motto [for building a strong bond with brother Henry and sister Olivia] has just been FaceTime. I try to see them as much as I can,” Dylan told Us. “But really, I just think back and my brother was such a good brother to me and I want to be that for them. So it’s really just — I like thinking what they think of me and I want to be that presence for them.”
“Honestly, my little sister’s the sweetest. She doesn’t have favorites, so it’s more we’re playing with each other. But every time we see her — I can’t say enough about her. And then Henry too,” Dylan continued at the time. “He’s just getting to that age where he is [developing his] personality. So it is hard to even pick between the two of them really. I see myself so much in Henry and then [in] Olivia, I see Zac. She’s going to be an actress probably [because] she’s got such a big personality. Henry’s a little sports player.”
Does Dylan Have Reality TV Experience?
While Dylan has worked mainly on scripted projects, he was a producer on Netflix’s Down to Earth, which followed Zac as he traveled around the world and highlighted various life experiences, cultures, culinary ventures as well as green energy and sustainable living practices.
“I love doing stuff with my brother. There’s a really comforting thing being with family [and] doing this stuff. That’s always going to be high up there on what I love to do. But I think it’s good that we do things separately too,” Dylan exclusively told Us in September 2023. “Because I remember back in the day, we wanted to do a show together and I really wouldn’t have been prepared for that. He’s been in front of the camera his whole life and it’s been second nature for him. I was a shy little kid, so I’ve had to grow into that.”
Dylan said he would be thrilled to work with Zac on a project again in the future. “It’ll be the right time now,” he shared. “We’re still thinking [about what to do]. We’re in the thinking process. We really want to just take a step back and see what stories we want to tell, how we can do it and enjoy ourselves. We want to keep leveling it up.”
Dylan also worked on telling his own stories with a three-part 2023 YouTube series about surf culture in California.
Over the years, Dylan has documented his interest in surfing, skateboarding, kayaking and running.
“Something I quickly retired from was speed flying, where you are running off a cliff with a parachute and then you go really fast. I wanted to do it and I quickly retired from it once I did one. It’s really scary,” he revealed to Us in 2023. “If I went back to that, I would go back to just normal skydiving and stay away from that.”
He continued: “Especially when I’m on the road a lot, I don’t try to lift heavy weights. I just want to use my muscles and stretch and try to just keep my body limber. I don’t want to kill myself trying to use heavy weights so I just make sure to keep everything used. When you get in trouble is if you get used to sitting all day and then you don’t use your body at all.”
What Does Zac Think About Dylan’s Chances on ‘The Traitors’?
Before his time in Scotland aired on Peacock, Zac showed support for Dylan’s newest endeavor. “I think Dylan’s going to win,” Zac told E! News in June 2024. “I hope he does, because he’s so good at games. He always has been, since we were kids. He’s like the game master. … If anyone can do this, it’s him. I’m rooting for him.”
Bravo fans received a surprise during season 3 of The Traitors when they spotted an oil painting of Andy Cohen hanging in the Scotland castle.
During the three-part premiere, which was released on Thursday, January 9, Chanel Ayan spotted the new addition to the wall, saying, “Is that Andy Cohen? Daddy! Oh my daddy.” The painting showed Cohen, 56, who is an executive producer on multiple Bravo shows, all smiles while decked out in regal attire.
The season got off to a memorable start when the contestants were offered the chance to bring Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano into the fold — but everyone passed. Despite Boston Rob, 49, being led off into the woods, he later returned with The Challenge‘s Wes Bergmann and Big Brother‘s Derrick Levasseur. The trio serves as a surprise, last-minute addition to season 3.
Peacock’s hit reality series brings together reality TV stars from various franchises as they compete in a mafia-style game for up to $250,000. In addition to Boston Rob, Wes and Derrick, the third season featured Wells Adams, Gabby Windey, Ciara Miller, Chrishell Stause, Jeremy Collins, Carolyn Wiger, Tony Vlachos, Bob the Drag Queen, Britney Haynes and Danielle Reyes.
Bob Harper, Dylan Efron, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Sam Asghari and Nikki Bella made up the rest of the group.
Euan Cherry/Peacock
Before season 3 premiered, Chrishell, 43, sparked rumors of an onscreen feud when she shared a series of promotional photos in November 2024 of all her fellow contestants — except Sandoval, 42. The Selling Sunset star didn’t address the omission at the time, but she previously showed support for Sandoval’s ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix.
“Oh my gosh, do you see who it is?” Nikki, 41, asked Gabby, 34, who replied, “Is that Sandoval? I am not saying hi to him.” Nikki laughed at Gabby’s reaction, adding, “I know, right?”
According to Cumming, 59, viewers should expect plenty of surprises throughout the season. “It’s very twisty and very kind of pulling the rug from under everybody all the time,” he told TV Insider in July 2024. “It’s also got some lovely moments in it as well, in a way that we haven’t had before. It’s very different from the other two seasons — in a really good way.”
“It’s sort of part of the whole DNA of the show now,” Cumming told WWD of his show style earlier this month. “I feel like we’ve sort of subverted the form of reality TV a little bit. And so what I’m wearing is an element of each episode. We’ve kind of added another layer to the thing.”
He continued: “It was something so new and different to what I’d done before. It sort of reminded me of Clue or something. I love a board game, and I love the campiness and theatricality of those games. I could tell from the start they [the production company] wanted to kind of up the ante. It wasn’t just, ‘Hello, I’m Alan Cumming, and here I am with these people.’ They purposely wanted to match the tone of the show.”
New episodes of The Traitors are released Thursdays on Peacock at 9 p.m. ET with a three-episode premiere event.
Efron — who is an older brother to Dylan, Olivia and Henry — has recalled how his siblings and parents supported him throughout his career.
“My family’s my rock. I know that they’re not going anywhere. More and more I rely on my little brother to keep me grounded,” he shared during a 2013 interview. “I know my family’s always going to be there, and then there’s also some times when life changes, they can’t always be there for you in the way that you need, so I rely on my friends.”
Years later, Efron revealed the important life lessons that he learned from his family.
“My parents love me in very different ways. But they checked every box. My dad always taught me to be driven,” he told Elle in 2016. “I was always the shortest kid at school. Always the worst kid on the team. I’d come home after practice and my dad would build a basketball hoop. Then we’d go out and shoot 100 free throws. Pretty soon every time I got fouled I would make my free throws.”
While he loves his own family — and is a great older brother — Efron admitted he’s not quite ready to have children of his own.
“I have a healthy respect for parents, very grateful for them all,” he said during a May 2022 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “I love you so much, Mom.”
Scroll down for the sweetest photos of Efron and his family over the years:
The actor's loved ones — including his mother, father and older brother — showed their support for Efron when he received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. During the event, Efron also reflected on how his bond with Dylan influenced his role as wrestling legend Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw.
"I can't say it didn't come into play," he told Entertainment Tonight. "This movie's about brothers, at the core of it, and you know, I'm a big brother myself. I love him to death. But there's a certain kind of relationship — it's just the brother bond."
Efron continued: "So, of course I thought about him a lot over the course of this movie. And I know that that connection, in the movie, is something that Kevin Von Erich really appreciated about it, so it makes me proud."
“Yes, I mean most of the time [he is a good roommate]. He’s my little brother. He looks after the house while I’m gone,” the actor said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live in May 2017. “We’re cool like that. I trust him, he’s a good dude. I trust him with the house. I came home [recently] and it was very clear that the cleaning lady had been there just minutes before I arrived.”
Later that year, Dylan took to social media to praise Zac for being a role model for him. “More than ever I’ve realized how much you’ve always been there for me,” he wrote via Instagram in October 2022. “Thanks for growin’ up with me and being my role model. Happy Bday brother.”
Zac revealed that his father encouraged him to do musicals in high school. "I lived a normal childhood in a middle-class family," the Baywatch actor told The Star in 2007. "When I was younger, I didn't even know this business existed."
Zac's parents met at a power plant in the '80s where his father was an engineer and his mother was a secretary. They called it quits in 2016 after welcoming two kids together.
"It was interesting because I was always really big for my age, and Zac was pretty small for his age. We were always fighting with each other," Dylan told BroBible in January 2021 about his dynamic with his older brother. "But I would say that we grew up super combative, just because we’re so different and he was so much older. We were just into different things."
Dylan added: "And then once I graduated college, Zac really took me under his wing and let me live with him when I got my first job in Los Angeles. He really became that older brother, and that’s when I would say we grew closer than ever. Our relationship was something that developed more as we both became adults and stopped fighting so much."
Our favorite CBS shows are making their midseason comebacks — and the network has released spoiler-filled story lines for each one, including Tracker, Matlock, FBI and more.
Matlock became an overnight hit after the first season premiered in September 2024. The series follows a wealthy retired lawyer named Madeline Kingston (Kathy Bates) who pretends to be a poor widower named Matty Matlock to get a job at a firm. As it turns out, Matty thinks someone at the company is complicit in the opioid epidemic that resulted in her daughter’s death.
According to executive producer and director Kat Coirothe biggest twists are still coming up.
“What’s so brilliant about the show and Jennie [Snyder Urman’s] writing is that it’s very incremental and character-based. The twists have a lot to do with psychology rather than relying on big external factors or plot shifts,” Coiro exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2024. “You get so invested in these characters that small revelations become really exciting.”
NCIS: Origins, meanwhile, previously ended on a high note after it was revealed that Gibbs (Austin Stowell) killed Pedro Hernandez (George Paez) off screen after the cartel leader murdered Gibbs’ family.
“At the beginning, the writers’ room let us know certain overarching story lines that might play out. But what [creators] Gina [Lucita Monreal] and David [J. North] have said from the very beginning is that they wanted to write for us and get to know us and see what works as we’re shooting. So I think we are informing them about their own characters as we go episode to episode,” Stowell shared with Us in November 2024 about the prequel series. “I’m not many episodes ahead. And we still have crimes to solve and memories to go back to. There are certain events coming in the next few episodes that are incredibly important to the story of NCIS and to the story of Gibbs that I’m really excited to share with the fans of the show.”
Keep scrolling for glimpses into your favorite CBS shows returning midseason:
‘The Neighborhood’
Monty Brinton/CBS
Premiere Date: Monday, January 27 at 8 p.m.. EST Logline: The new neighbors who moved into Miss Kim’s old house are keeping the Butlers and Johnsons up all night. Meanwhile, Courtney tells Marty she is going on a date.
‘Poppa’s House’
Bill Inoshita/CBS
Premiere Date: Monday, January 27 at 8:30 p.m. EST Logline: Junior accuses Poppa of lying about his dog allergy during his childhood. Meanwhile, Nina and Junior take a vow of celibacy to explore a deeper connection.
‘NCIS’
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Premiere Date: Monday, January 27 at 9 p.m. EST Logline: After NCIS learns that the owner of Parker’s favorite bakery (guest star Melina Kanakaredes) is being blackmailed, they hatch a plan to save her from the perpetrators. Also, tensions heighten when Torres’ secret romance is discovered.
‘NCIS: Origins’
Erik Voake/CBS
Premiere Date: Monday, January 27 at 10 p.m. EST Logline: The team investigates the death of a famed Marine commander’s son, while a pivotal part of Franks’ past involving his family is revealed.
Premiere Date: Tuesday, January 28 at 8 p.m. EST Logline: The investigation into an assistant U.S. attorney’s death leads the team to a related airline whistleblower scandal and the chilling discovery that they don’t have much time to thwart terrorists from crashing numerous in-flight commercial airplanes. Dealing with the memory of his brother, who was a 9/11 victim, the case pushes Scola hard to prevent another catastrophe.
‘FBI: International’
CBS
Premiere Date: Tuesday, January 28 at 9 p.m. EST Logline: A member of the Fly Team goes missing as the hunt for Greg Csonka continues in Paris. Meanwhile, Vo’s life hangs in the balance after being shot.
‘FBI: Most Wanted’
Mark Schäfer/CBS
Premiere Date: Tuesday, January 28 at 10 p.m. EST Logline: The Fugitive Task Force investigates a series of deadly fires involving the descendants of those who caused the infamous 1985 MOVE bombing in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Nina’s sister turns to her in a time of need.
‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Premiere Date: Thursday, January 30 at 8 p.m. EST Logline: Tensions rise when Georgie intrudes on Mandy’s new sales gig. Meanwhile, Audrey’s conflicted when Jim makes it a point not to coddle Connor. Young Sheldon‘s Sarah Baker reprises her recurring role as Medford High librarian Ms. Hutchins.
‘Ghosts’
Bertrand Calmeau/CBS
Premiere Date: Thursday, January 30 at 8:30 p.m. EST Logline: Sam and Jay are forced to cover when Mark demands to meet the silent investor in Jay’s restaurant who has been holding up construction.
‘Matlock’
Erik Voake/CBS
Premiere Date: Thursday, January 30 at 9 p.m. EST Logline: Matty helps Olympia take on Elijah’s cousin’s wrongful termination case. Also, Edwin worries that the longer Matty remains at Jacobson Moore, the more she puts herself in danger of being caught.
Premiere Date: Thursday, January 30 at 10 p.m. EST Logline: When a young man is found dead in his car, Elsbeth visits the holistic wellness center he’d just left and begins to suspect its charismatic founder (Eric McCormack).
‘NCIS: Sydney’
Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+
Premiere Date: Friday, January 31 at 8 p.m. EST Logline: The team will do whatever it takes to crack the case of a rogue assassin on the run during NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson’s chaotic first day as boss.
‘Fire Country’
Eric Milner/CBS
Premiere Date: Friday, January 31 at 9 p.m. EST Logline: With the Chezem Valley fire blazing out of control, Bode and Audrey must find a way to save themselves; Manny risks his freedom for his missing daughter; and Eve tries to protect her father (Phil Morris) and their family’s ranch.
‘S.W.A.T.’
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Premiere Date: Friday, January 31 at 10 p.m. EST Logline: When Hondo learns there’s a $1 million bounty on his head, 20-Squad must race to uncover the mysterious enemy from Hondo’s past who’s intent on revenge. Also, Deacon and Tan butt heads over Tan’s changes to SWAT academy.
Premiere Date: Sunday, February 16 at 8 p.m. EST Logline: A new lead in Colter’s white whale case, the disappearance of Gina Picket, brings him and retired cop Keaton (Brent Sexton) back together to track down a serial killer.
‘The Equalizer’
Michael Greenberg/CBS
Premiere Date: Sunday, February 16 at 10 p.m. EST Longline: After a young girl is the victim of a shootout in her neighborhood, the team races to find out if a gang war is afoot and whether the crime is connected to a shipment of stolen guns McCall is chasing down. Meanwhile, love is in the air when Aunt Vi and Delilah prepare for their respective date.
Jake Johnson shared his conflicting feelings after filmmaker and friend Jeff Baena‘s death.
“I love you Jeff,” Johnson, 46, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, January 8. “Hate your last move. But I still love you.”
The social media post included a photo of Johnson and Baena, who Us Weekly confirmed died by suicide on Friday, January 3, at age 47. Baena, who was married to actress Aubrey Plaza, was known for projects such as I Heart Huckabees, Life After Beth, The Little Hours, Horse Girl and Spin Me Round.
Plaza, 40, broke her silence on Baena’s death days later in a statement.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy,” her rep said in a Monday, January 6, statement to Us on behalf of Plaza and family members. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”
Monica Schipper/Getty Images; Mat Hayward/Getty Images
“My first movie was a big learning experience on all fronts, and so working with her was a benefit because we have a shorthand and a close relationship,” Baena said of Plaza in an August 2022 interview with Newsweek. “As I’ve made more and more stuff, I’ve come to appreciate everything that she brings.”
Baena praised his wife’s commitment to her work, adding, “She’s insanely talented and so smart and obviously really good at producing. And she’s writing. There are very few people who can wear as many hats as her, as elegantly as she does.”
Plaza received an outpour of support after Baena’s death. His friend and longtime collaborator Adam Pally shared an emotional Instagram statement on Sunday, January 5, which read, “He was a talented director with impeccable taste and vision, he was a connector of people, a fosterer of possibility, the guy who knows where the best restaurant was no matter where you were. An overly gracious host with an almost disturbing open door policy, a film encyclopedia, and most importantly to me a friend.”
Pally, 42, who worked with Baena on Life After Beth, Joshy and The Little Hours, recalled how the late filmmaker “strove for truth” and that “nothing could sound, look or feel inauthentic” because it was a “direct representation” of how authentic Baena was.
“You never worried that Jeff wasn’t telling you the way it is. ‘Cause Jeff’s virtue was telling you the way it was,” Pally continued. “My heart breaks for my friend Aubrey and the Baena family and for all of us who spent time on his sets or at his house or in his orbit. Thanks for believing in me Jeff, may your memory be a blessing.”
In the comments section, Jeff’s brother, Brad Baena, replied, “I am broken.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
(L-R) Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, and Brian Cox.Rich Fury/Getty Images
Jeremy Strong is subtly weighing in on his former Succession costars poking fun at his method acting.
The actor, 46, elaborated on his process while discussing his role as Roy Cohn in The Apprentice film, telling Deadline on Tuesday, January 7, “When I look at the kind of transformational work based on historical characters that I feel inspired by, from Ben Kingsley in Gandhi, or Phil Hoffman in Capote or what I witnessed Daniel Day-Lewis do in Lincoln, it’s about transcending impersonation and finding the essence in a deep, serious way.”
Strong said his approach to depicting real people is by trying to “absorb and learn everything and study them endlessly.”
“Lately, people have felt a need to take shots at me or say disparaging things, which I don’t really think there’s any need for,” he continued. “The way I approach things, my process. I feel we’re storytellers. I think about those performances I just mentioned. Those are actors telling a story through character, which to me is the highest bar.”
Strong had no regrets about his decision to immerse himself in his work, adding, “That’s the holy grail for me, creating a character, which is sort of creating an instrument that’s never existed before. That’s the kind of acting that I love. It does require a devil-may-care attitude towards what anybody might think of what you’re doing.”
Jeremy Strong in “Succession.”Macall B. Polay/HBO
He continued: “It’s anti-art and not worthy of the dignity of what we’re all trying to do. I think about Roy, how delighted he would be with the muckraking and the stone throwing going on in our country right now.”
Strong, who played Kendall on Succession, previously made headlines when he revealed he sustained injuries including hurting his tibia, femur and fracturing his foot.
“If I have any method at all, it is simply this: to clear away anything — anything — that is not the character and the circumstances of the scene,” Strong explained to The New Yorker in December 2021. “And usually that means clearing away almost everything around and inside you, so that you can be a more complete vessel for the work at hand.”
Strong’s costars Kieran Culkin and Brian Cox have since shared how they weren’t as thrilled by his behavior. Strong acknowledged that his method may come off as “difficult” to others, adding, “Sometimes there must even be room for necessary roughness.”
Culkin, 42, was quoted in the article when discussing how Strong’s work ethic is “something that helps” him. “I can tell you that it doesn’t help me,” he noted.
“The thing about Jeremy’s approach is it works in terms of what comes out the other end,” he detailed during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2021. “I don’t have a problem with Jeremy because he’s delightful. … He’s an extraordinary dad. He’s a pretty unique individual. But he does get obsessed with the work. And I worry about what it does to him, because if you can’t separate yourself — because you’re dealing with all of this material every day. You can’t live in it. Eventually, you get worn out.”
Cox continued: “Like, to me, Daniel Day Lewis got worn out at 55 and decided to retire because [he] couldn’t go on doing that every day. It’s too consuming. And I do worry about it. But the result — what everyone says about Jeremy — the result is always extraordinary and excellent.”
“It was painful. I felt foolish. As an actor, one of the most vital secret weapons that you can have is the ability to tolerate feeling foolish,” he told Vanity Fair in September 2022 before elaborating in a separate interview, “A lot of that is just things that are presented out of context or with a certain agenda. I know what everybody said, and there was an angle and a narrative that was being presented. Which is not to say that there was never friction between my costars. We’re a family in every sense of the word. But foundationally, there’s deep respect and even love.”
Lily AllenShane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images for Mission 44
Lily Allen candidly addressed her ongoing mental health struggles — and shut down rumors she was going to rehab following a relapse.
During the Thursday, January 9, episode of her “Miss Me?” podcast, Allen, 39, announced she was stepping back while “finding it really hard to be interested in anything” at the moment.
“I’m really not in a good place,” she explained. “I know I’ve been talking about it for months, but I’ve been spiraling and spiraling and spiraling and it’s got out of control.”
Allen recalled having a “panic attack” at an event recently, adding, “I went to see something at the theater the other night with my [friends] Carlo and Claire, and I had to leave at halftime. I just can’t concentrate on anything except the pain that I’m going through.”
The singer, who is married to actor David Harbour, didn’t specify what was causing the personal decline. “It’s really, really hard,” she added before discussing her break from podcasting. “I’m going away next week. You’re not gonna hear me for a few weeks, listeners.”
Allen also used the opportunity to shut down “vicious rumors” she had relapsed and was going to rehab. She has often used her podcast as a platform to discuss mental health — revealing in December 2024 that she had been having difficulty eating for the last three years after suffering from bulimia in the past.
“I’ve been going through a tough time over the last few months and my eating has become a real issue,” she said on her show about how she didn’t tell her therapist about the issues. “It’s just because it hasn’t seemed at the top of the list of the important things that I need to talk about. I’m really not in a great place mentally at the moment.”
“I think that addiction runs deep in my family, so self-medicating was going to be on the cards. For me, it didn’t really feel like an ‘if,’ it was a ‘when,’” Allen, who is the daughter of comedian Keith Allen, told The Times in November 2024. “The journey of sobriety isn’t singular, and it isn’t linear. So if sharing my own experiences and struggles helps even just one person process what they’re going through, then it’s all worth it.”
Allen, who shares daughters Ethel, 13, and Marnie, 12, with ex Sam Cooper, elaborated on how her sobriety affects her marriage to Harbour, 49.
“We don’t really talk about it,” Allen explained. “I don’t think I’d ever had sex with anybody not drunk before I got together with him. So that was different for sure.”
She continued: “It’s a totally different thing. It’s unavoidable, conscious and real. He had a lot of experience with it, so it’s been helpful to do it with someone that’s long-in-the-tooth in that game.”
Marie Osmond is paying tribute to her brother Wayne Osmond after he died at age 73.
“I’ve taken a break from social media for the past 9 months and will continue to do so as I have felt a need to unplug and spend time with family,” Marie, 65, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, January 8. “I’m so grateful that just a few weeks ago, I was able to take a long drive to spend time with my brother Wayne. I really felt the Spirit compel me to go see him, and I’m so thankful I listened to what I was feeling.”
“I will cherish those hours I spent with him for the rest of my life. I didn’t know that just a few days after my visit, he would have a massive stroke,” she continued. “I haven’t done any interviews or issued any statements until this post. The truth is, it’s just too hard to put into words, but I will try my best to honor one of the most loving men I have ever known.”
In the emotional post, Marie confessed that Wayne’s death left “another giant hole” in her heart. “There’s no question that Wayne had a long and successful career as an entertainer, musician, and songwriter. But what stands out to me as his sister were the joy-filled, humorous times I spent laughing with him and our deep intellectual conversations that left me edified,” she recalled. “He was always my safe place to go when I needed advice.”
(L-R) Wayne Osmond, Merrill Osmond, Jay Osmond, Jimmy Osmond, Donny Osmond, Marie Osmond and Alan OsmondMichael Putland/Getty Images
News broke on January 2 that Wayne died in Salt Lake City, with sibling Merrill Osmond making the announcement via Facebook. “My brother was a saint before he came into this world, and he will leave as an even greater saint than he came in,” Merrill wrote at the time, noting that his brother “endured much” before his death.
Wayne performed alongside Merrill and brothers Donny, Alan and Jay as part of The Osmonds, hitting the peak of their success in the 1970s. While celebrating Wayne’s memory on Wednesday, Marie shared some of their favorite moments together.
“Wayne loved deeply, and he showered this love upon his beautiful wife, Kathy, whom he loved with all his heart, and his beautiful children and grandchildren. It’s all he ever talked about! I admired him, too, for his deep love and unwavering devotion to God our Father and His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ,” she recalled. “Throughout his life, Wayne was an honorable member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was his eternal compass, and he was a light to others as he testified of God’s great plan for us in this life. If you can, listen to one of his favorite albums that my brothers wrote ‘The Plan.’”
Marie concluded by sharing support for those who might be going through a similar experience. “So right now, if I could say anything to him, it would be: Wayne, I could not cherish the gift God gave me more than to be loved by you in this life!” she wrote. “You are a true, loving brother, and I will miss you so very much. I testify eternally of my great love for you with every fiber of my heart and soul! #TillWeMeetAgain.”
She added, “I know many of you understand these feelings from losing your loved ones,” also sending her “deepest prayers” to those impacted by the outbreak of wildfires raging through Los Angeles.
Dick Wolf‘s On Call follows fictional law enforcement working for the Long Beach Police Department — but why did the procedural make an effort not to offer commentary?
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Troian Bellisario, Brandon Larracuente, Eriq LaSalle and Lori Loughlin discussed how their new show introduced important conversations without picking sides.
“At least from my own experience, the show left me with more questions than real answers. I hope that that’s what audiences experience as well,” Larracuente, 30, who plays Officer Alex Diaz, noted. “By the end of it, we’re not really trying to paint any narrative.”
Larracuente applauded On Call for “just trying to show the human side” of everyone, adding, “Hopefully audience members can relate to one of the characters [on the show] in some way, shape or form.”
“We want so many different kinds of people — who have many different views about the police — to come to this show. And we want them to take away what they take away,” the actress, who plays Officer Traci Harmon told Us. [“Executive producer] Elliot [Wolf] put it really well. He’s like, ‘We want to create a buffet and we want everybody to come to the table and eat together.’ That’s the thing. We’re not going to say, ‘Oh, you have that idea, so you’re not welcome here.’ You have that idea so you won’t like this show.’ You will see people make incredible decisions [on screen]. You’ll see us make mistakes. Nobody is a hero. And these are human beings — they just so happen to be doing this job.”
On Call, which premiered on Thursday, January 9, is Wolf Entertainment’s first scripted streaming series. The gritty drama utilized bodycam, dash-camera and cellphone footage to follow cops in the field.
Erin Simkin/Prime Video
While speaking with Us, Loughlin, 60, showed support for On Call‘s “intention” when “not trying to comment” any which way. Her costar Eriq La Salle found that to be an appealing part of the show when joining as a lead and director.
“We’re just trying to present real credible characters. We all spent a shift — or at least a minimum of a shift — riding along with a cop, answering calls and observing, which was extremely helpful. For me as a director, being able to be in that cruiser and to be the fly on the wall is the goal for me with the audience,” the actor, 62, who plays Sergeant Lasman explained. “We try to bring the audience in and make them feel like they’re in that car with us and that they’re on these calls with us. Everyone was in sync on what we were trying to do.”
“We’re not saying [anything], we are just presenting. It’s up to you to decide how you interpret these characters. You might like some characters, you might not like some characters,” he continued. “You might agree with some characters [and] you might not. But our job — and I think I am proud of the job that we have done — is to present what we see as the truth and what we see as the multi-dimensions of these characters.”
“Our audiences are evolving. The police procedural is something that is not new and it’s definitely a Wolf Entertainment production. It’s classic and everybody loves it,” Bellisario noted. “Younger audiences are mostly streaming. They’re watching less procedural and more character-driven shows. We’re going to use the world of law enforcement but we’re going to show it to you in a place that you don’t really see a lot, which is Long Beach. It’s an entirely new community and landscape.”
She concluded: “We’re not going to show you a case and then solve it by the end of it. There is an overarching story line to this season that our characters are following. but it’s really just about the time spent between us and this relationship and how it builds and how it falls and the betrayals and the beliefs. It’s just a really incredible amalgamation of all of these new ideas that I think present a totally original idea in the show.”
Investigation Discovery’s explosive docuseries about Sean “Diddy” Combs features new revelations about the disgraced music mogul — including comments from a surprise interview subject — ahead of his sex trafficking trial.
The network released the official trailer on Thursday, January 9, which featured more than 30 interviews from former friends, employees and colleagues who all have individual allegations of abuse against Diddy, 55.
“I have been quiet for 18 years,” shared one person as someone else noted how “absolutely nervous” they were to speak out. In another confessional, an individual said they could “no longer just remain silent” about their experience.
The topics covered in the upcoming four-part docuseries include allegations of abuse, violence and threats. The documentary also features footage of Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassie, who sued him in November 2023 for sexual assault and physical abuse. Diddy has denied all allegations and the pair settled the case out of court one day later.
After Cassie’s lawsuit, several other people came forward with similar misconduct accusations against Diddy, which he denied. The disgraced rapper is currently in prison after being arrested on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. Diddy issued a plea of not guilty after his arrest but was denied bail. He currently faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Sean ‘Diddy’ CombsScott Dudelson/Getty Images
The Fall of Diddy hails from Maxine Productions, which worked on Investigation Discovery’s bombshell doc Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. According to a press release, The Fall of Diddy “uncovers the insidious and terrifying allegations of sexual assault, abusive behavior, violence, and other disturbing claims that lay beneath his success.”
The interview revelations include comments from some who claim they “saw his alleged violence and temper during his college days at Howard University and the onset of his career with Bad Boy Records, to those who knew him at the height of his influence and power in recent years,” according to the same press release. The sneak peek ended with someone sitting down to be interviewed — but their identity remained a secret.
Danity Kane member D. Woods, producer Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones, magazine editor Danyel Smith, hip hop minister and spiritual advisor Reverend Conrad Tillard, former driver Wardel Fenderson, bodyguard Roger Bonds, childhood friend Tim Patterson, publicist Dr. LaJoyce Brookshire and alleged victims Thalia Graves and Natania Griffin were interview for the docuseries. Makeup artist Mylah Morales, who claims to have witnessed Diddy’s alleged abuse of Cassie, 38, also took part in The Fall of Diddy series.
Prosecutors previously alleged in the 14-page unsealed indictment that Diddy “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct.”
Investigation Discovery/YouTube
“Combs relied on the employees, resources and influence of the multifaceted business empire that he led and controlled — creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice,” the indictment continued of the accusations, some of which date back to 2009.
Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo denied the accusations in a statement.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Agnifilo told Us Weekly after the arrest. “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children and working to uplift the Black community.”
Agnifilo added: “He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal. To his credit, Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Diddy has since been named in dozens of lawsuits where he has been accused of sexual assault, all of which his legal team continues to deny. A civil complaint from October 2024 was amended on December 2024, to include Jay-Z‘s name in accusations claiming the duo raped a then-13-year-old at a party.
Jay-Z, 55, publicly denied the allegations and has since asked the federal court in New York to dismiss the case completely and have the accuser’s name made public.
Investigation Discovery/YouTube
“Mr. Carter deserves to know the identity of the person who is effectively accusing him — in sensationalized, publicity-hunting fashion — of criminal conduct, demanding massive financial compensation, and tarnishing a reputation earned over decades,” the Monday, December 9, court documents stated. “That campaign was cynical and calculated to force payment of an exorbitant sum of money — Defendant would have to pay X millions of dollars irrespective of the truth, or else.”
The filing continued: “When Defendant refused to pay and instead took measures to establish his innocence, this unnamed Plaintiff and her self-promoting counsel (whose name has been splashed across headlines and press conferences under auspices of representing her) went to extraordinary lengths to shut down fair defense. But those efforts, too, failed.”
The Fall of Diddy airs on Investigation Discovery Monday, January 27, and Tuesday, January 28, at 9 p.m. ET. Episodes will also be available to stream on Max.
After sitcom success with Home Improvement and Last Man Standing, Tim Allen wasn’t exactly planning to return to network TV, that is until Shifting Gears pulled up.
“It was a complicated decision. I was doing Disney+’s Santa Claus series at the time and I said, ‘I really can’t think about this now,'” Allen, 71, whose Zoom name coincidentally is Santa, exclusively revealed in the newest issue of Us Weekly. “Do I want to do linear TV? I was so depressed at how streaming has hurt television. So if I did it, I want to elevate it.”
The actor specifically pointed to his past experience on the small screen, adding, “I’ve done Mike Baxter [on Last Man Standing] and Tim Taylor [on Home Improvement]. So if I do this again, I pitched three things: I want a guy that lost his wife recently, so he’s dealing with grief; I want a guy with the family that doesn’t get along; And then he has a custom car shop.”
Allen enjoyed playing a character that was “not like the other guys” he brought to life.
“He’s more like me. I’m more of an artist. I was a design student and a philosopher and my standup comedy is really about messing with people in a good way,” he noted to Us. “I came from a huge family run by women. So my perspective is very different about men. I don’t think we run things. So I want this to be that guy. He’s not a man’s man in that term, and he wasn’t trying to be anything but what he does.”
Tim Allen on ‘Shifting Gears.’Disney/Mike Taing
Shifting Gears, which premieres on Wednesday, January 8, follows widowed father Matt (Allen) and his estranged daughter, Riley (Kat Dennings), as they find themselves living together and working to repair their relationship. The ABC series comes three years after Allen’s previous sitcom, Last Man Standing, wrapped its nine-season run. Before Last Man Standing, Allen was known for playing Tim “The Toolman” Taylor on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement, which ran from 1991 to 1999.
“This is a new character and it’s much closer to [who I am]. I’ve been through grief in my life with losing my father,” he shared. “I’ve been blessed to be a comedian and so that’s who this [character] is. If I did it again, I wanted to get as much closer to the [man] that I am.”
“It was immediate when we [met]. The director wanted to see how we got along. It never stopped. The kismet was crazy. We’re both born on the same day — many years apart,” he said. “We’re different in so many ways. But our attitude about comedy is very similar. She cracks me up and I’m not easy that way. Kat can [deliver these lines] with a straight face. Her anger — that she played on 2 Broke Girls — is very similar to the sharpness that Mike Baxter could get into now.”
He continued: “When we argue on screen, it’s funny that we interrupt each other and it comes quite naturally. I don’t know where it’s coming from. I adore this person already. She and her husband [Andrew W.K.] are great people. It is like I’ve known her for freaking years, same as most of this cast.”
Richard Karn and Tim Allen on ‘Home Improvement.’Cover Images
In addition to Allen and Dennings, Shifting Gears also stars Seann William Scott, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Maxwell Simkins and Barrett Margolis. Jenna Elfman, meanwhile, has been cast in a recurring role as spirited choreographer Eve Drake, who owns a dance studio across from the classic car restoration shop run by Allen’s character.
“From the very beginning, [the creative team has said] that we’ve never seen Tim Allen in a sitcom with a romantic interest. And I said, ‘Well, I’ve just lost my wife so I don’t see it.’ So I love where we are,” Allen told Us about Elfman, 53, potentially playing his love interest. “I said, ‘If it happens over time and happens organically with two people that do not get along then it is OK. I just am really cautious about this. I just want it to happen where it’s organic and proper.”
Shifting Gears premieres on ABC Wednesday, January 8, at 8 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Hulu.
TMZ reports that Alba, 43, and Warren, 45, recently separated and are preparing to file for divorce. Us Weekly has reached out to reps for Alba and Warren for comment.
The duo met on the set ofThe Fantastic Four in 2004, where Alba was the lead actress and Warren was a production assistant. They tied the knot four years later.
During their 2008 nuptials, Alba was nine months pregnant with their daughter Honor, now 16. The pair went on to welcome daughter Haven, 13, and son, Hayes, 6.
Alba has gushed about her husband over the years, exclusively telling Us Weekly in 2011, “Whenever I doubt myself for a second, he’s the first one to come up and say, ‘You can do this, I believe in you.’ I don’t know what I’d do without him there. And he’s so good with the kids. We’re really happy.”
More recently, however, the actress was candid about facing ups and downs in her marriage.
Jessica Alba and Cash Warren.MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images
“It’s all rosy for two and a half years. But then after that, you become roommates,” Alba revealed to Katherine Schwarzenegger on her Instagram series Before, During, and After Baby in July 2021. “You’re just going through the motions. You have the responsibilities. It’s a lot of, like, checking the boxes, right?”
Alba admitted at the time that she had found herself taking her husband for granted, noting, “We have, like, obviously the friendship, the comfort of, like, ‘You’re not going anywhere,’ and so sometimes you don’t treat those people the best, right? You don’t consider their feelings in the way that you would consider other people’s feelings.”
While reflecting on her “constant” attempts to work on her bond with Warren, Alba shared how they had started to focus on “being able to communicate when you’re unhappy” and confronting issues “right away instead of letting it sort of fester.”
Alba also opened up about how motherhood allowed her to address her emotions more, sharing, “I feel like I didn’t really understand the nooks and crannies of the complexity of feelings and relationship dynamics. There wasn’t a lot of space held for vulnerability.”
In recent weeks, Alba sparked split speculation when she was spotted not wearing her wedding ring. She and Warren appeared to put on a united front by celebrating the holidays with their kids and posting photos on social media.
“Happy Holidays from our familia to yours ” Alba wrote via Instagram in December 2024 in addition to an inspirational quote, which read, “The Universe is saying to you today: ‘Now is a powerful time. Allow yourself to be open to every possibility and opportunity that presents for you. Your life changes as you change your inner beliefs. Everything in your life is a clear reflection of what you believe. Trust yourself more.”
Leighton Meester and Adam BrodyEmma McIntyre/Getty Images
Adam Brody is showing his range, transforming from Hot Rabbi to Hot Cowboy in wife Leighton Meester‘s upcoming procedural Good Cop/Bad Cop.
The CW released the official trailer on Tuesday, January 7, for the series, which premieres February 19, and Brody, 45, made a blink-and-you’ll-miss it cameo as a cowboy who mistakes Meester’s character, Lou, and her brother Henry (Luke Cook), for a couple.
Good Cop/Bad Cop follows a sibling detective team as they deal with a slew of colorful residents, a serious lack of resources, their complex relationship and a very complicated dynamic with their police chief (and father) played by Clancy Brown.
This isn’t the first time Meester, 38, and Brody have shared the screen after reconnecting on the set of The Oranges. Since taking their relationship public, they have also appeared together on Single Parents and River Wild.
Us Weekly broke the news in 2013 that Meester and Brody were officially dating. They tied the knot one year later.
The CW/YouTube
“My wife and I actually got married very fast after we started dating. That’s how sort of easy a decision it was for me and us,” Brody said on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show during a March 2023 interview. “I was never scared of the idea of marriage or kids. It always seemed like a route I would go [down] eventually, and I was excited to when it came together [and] when I met the right person.”
Brody later gushed about how he knew he was interested in Meester instantly, despite her needing a few “years” to see him in the same light.
“She remained elusive to me for so long, you know, and aloof,” he explained on an April 2023 episode of Stitcher Studios’ “Popcrushed” podcast. “I couldn’t get a total read because even though she professe[d] to have been interested in me and all those things — not only did she not pursue that, I mean, she was perfectly willing to let that never happen.”
The actor joked: “She was perfectly willing to let that message in the bottle return to sea at several points. [Leighton] says, ‘Oh, it’s because I knew if we did [date] it would be a thing.’ Or, like, ‘It’s too powerful.’”
“I don’t think there’s any kind of secret. I think it’s individual,” she shared in December 2023. “In our case, I think we get along. We like each other a lot.”
Chad Duell as Michael Corinthos in ‘General Hospital.’Disney/Christine Bartolucci
Chad Duell‘s exit from General Hospital was shocking, fiery and epic.
Duell, 37, wrapped up his character’s story on Monday, January 6, when Michael Corinthos caught on fire after an explosion. Michael officially served Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) divorce papers before being encouraged to punch his estranged wife’s lover, Drew (Cameron Mathison).
Later in the episode, Michael heard a ticking before he was set on fire by an explosion. He was ultimately engulfed in flames and screaming in pain, which didn’t come as a surprise after Duell previously announced his exit from General Hospital after more than 14 years.
“This wasn’t an easy decision for me, but it feels like the right time in my life,” he wrote via Instagram in November 2024. “I’m beyond grateful to [executive producer] Frank Valentini, the cast, crew, and everyone behind the scenes who have been like family to me throughout this amazing journey.”
Duell noted at the time that this “isn’t a goodbye — it’s a see you later.” He later discussed his decision to step away.
“It’s a life adjustment,” he shared on an episode of the “Daily Drama” podcast in December 2024. “A lot of stuff’s been going on in my life. There’s a few things behind it but one thing I did say is my dad passed away and I’m still coming to terms with that.”
Michael Corinthos’ arm after explosion.ABC
Duell said he wanted to spend more time with partner Luana Lucci and their 16-month-old son, Dawson.
“I’m preparing myself for next chapters,” he continued. “Right now, I’m just trying to grow in ways that maybe I feel like I stifled myself in certain aspects and sometimes you need to take drastic steps or make yourself feel uncomfortable and that’s not what I’ve done in a long time.”
At the time, Duell claimed the door was open for a return before teasing new projects, adding, “Coming in January, I have a few things planned [that] I want to do for myself. It’s different because I have a kid now. But also for him and me as well and everybody, doing what’s best for me — spiritually, mentally, everything — will only reflect my energy in a better way towards everybody around me, and I want to make sure that I take care of myself as well, which I haven’t always done.”
“I feel like I had a very strong comfort in this for such a long time that my identity was wrapped up in that,” he concluded. “It’s going to be a process, but kind of unraveling that and really seeing who I am and where I am now in my life. It’s going to be a little journey. I don’t know what the future holds, but there is a lot of work I have to do to achieve the potential that I know I have. Not just career-wise, but a lot of aspects.”
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC and can be streamed on Hulu.
Savannah Chrisley‘s boyfriend, Robert Shiver, got a stamp of approval from her mother, Julie Chrisley — but her father, Todd Chrisley, hasn’t been as receptive.
During the Tuesday, January 7, episode of Savannah’s “Unlocked” podcast, Shiver, 40, confirmed that he met Julie, 52, but claimed Todd, 55, “has not been as open” to making an introduction.
“I think that’s probably rightfully so,” Shiver noted. “It’s his daughter. [He is probably thinking], ‘Who’s this guy? He’s got all this baggage.’ And Todd has a tendency to be vocal on certain situations and issues.”
Shiver continued: “I don’t know if there’s many situations where nobody knows how he feels, because they always know how he feels.”
Savannah, 27, noted that her father’s reservations could come from Shiver’s past, adding, “I don’t think anyone ever looks at life, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I want my kid to marry someone that’s 12 years older, that’s been divorced and that has kids.’ Like, that’s not what you would want for your daughter.”
Savannah Chrisley and Robert ShiverJason Davis/Getty Images
Shiver, however, has his “fingers crossed” about meeting Todd this year. Both of Savannah’s parents are serving time in prison after being convicted in June 2022 of fraud and tax evasion.
“I have met your mother one time. She is an incredible human being. Me and Julie, we get along great,” Shiver shared. “I was just open [with her]. It’s so easy to talk tough behind the keyboard. It’s so easy to read comments and that’s why I just stay away from all of that stuff, because all you’re going to do is go down a rabbit hole.”
He continued: “I’m going into this open. This is somebody that you love. This is somebody that everybody in the car loves. So I went in with an open mind and it didn’t disappoint and I had a great time with her. I think she laughed a ton.”
Savannah told Shiver that he and Julie connected because “you are my mother and I am my father.” As she continues to advocate for her parents’ innocence, Savannah admitted she was concerned about Shiver not meeting the “best version” of Julie.
“That was really difficult for me,” she shared. “You’re going to visit her in a prison and I don’t think you’ve ever thought, ‘Oh, I’m gonna go see my girlfriend’s mom in prison, meet her for the first time.’ Like, not the image anyone had ever imagined.”
Julie Chrisley and Todd ChrisleyPaul Archuleta/Getty Images
Todd and Julie were first indicted in 2019 on charges of tax evasion, bank and wire fraud and conspiracy. After being found guilty in 2022, Todd was sentenced to 12 years in prison and his wife received a seven-year sentence. The couple have maintained their innocence while continuing to serve their time in separate locations.
Savannah, for her part, stepped up to look after her brother Grayson, 18, and niece Chloe, 11, whom Shiver has bonded with as well. Savannah initially reached out to Shiver after he made headlines in 2023 for surviving an alleged murder plot orchestrated by his ex Lindsay Shiver.
While looking ahead to their future, Savannah admitted she isn’t planning to start a family with Shiver until his divorce is finalized.
“Well, I’m not gonna have a child with someone that is still legally married. I’m not really into that,” she recently mentioned on her podcast. “But if I had a child with him and we weren’t married, like, I’m fine with that, but you just can’t be married to someone else when I have that child.”
Savannah added that things will “move quick” once Shiver is legally single.
