• Michelle Trachtenberg was found dead on Wednesday morning. She was 39.
• She began her acting career as a child star and is best known for "Buffy" and "Harriet the Spy."
• Trachtenberg's famous friends and former costars paid tribute to the actor.

After Michelle Trachtenberg's death on Wednesday morning, celebrities and fans are paying tribute.

The NYPD told Business Insider that Trachtenberg had been found dead in a luxury apartment in Manhattan near Central Park. No cause of death has been given, and authorities said they're not treating the death as suspicious.

Trachtenberg, who began acting in commercials at age 3, had a decadeslong career in Hollywood, appearing in memorable films like "Harriet the Spy" and "EuroTrip" and TV series like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Gossip Girl." As the news of her death spread, her famous friends and former costars shared their reactions and heartfelt messages online.

Rosie O'Donnell said she wished she could've helped Trachtenberg.

In a statement to Us Weekly, O'Donnell, who played the beloved nanny of Trachtenberg's character in her 1996 film debut "Harriet the Spy," called the younger actor's death "heartbreaking."

"I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped," O'Donnell told the publication.

Michelle Branch shared a photo of Trachtenberg with broken heart emojis.

Branch was a musical guest star on the sixth season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Shawn Ashmore called Trachtenberg an incredible person.

Ashmore and Trachtenberg dated in the 2000s. In his post about her death, he called it an "incredible loss."

"Incredibly sad to hear about Michelle's passing. She was an incredible person and I will always remember the years we spent together fondly," he wrote. "She was loving, quirky and would never pass up a law and order SVU marathon:) My condolences to her mother Lana and sister Irene!"

Ed Westwick shared a photo of Trachtenberg as her "Gossip Girl" character.

Westwick played reformed bad boy Chuck Bass and Trachtenberg played fan-favorite antagonist Georgina Sparks throughout all six seasons of The CW teen drama "Gossip Girl."

"So sad to hear of the passing of @MichelleTrachtenberg," he wrote in his Instagram story. "Sending prayers."

David Boreanaz sent prayers to Trachtenberg's family.

Boreanaz played the vampire Angel, the longtime love interest of Buffy Summers on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and was a series regular on the first three seasons of the show before departing for his own spinoff.

Trachtenberg joined the series as Buffy's sister Dawn Summers in season five.

Kim Cattrall shared a throwback photo of her and Trachtenberg in "Ice Princess."

"Rest in peace sweet Michelle 💔" Cattrall captioned the post.

Trachtenberg's "Buffy" costar James Marsters shared a heartfelt message.

Marsters, who played Spike in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," worked closely with Trachtenberg from the time she joined the series in 2000 as a young teen.

"My heart is heavy today. We have lost a beautiful soul. Michelle was fiercely intelligent, howlingly funny, and a very talented person," the actor wrote on Instagram. "She died much too young, and leaves behind scores of people who knew and loved her."

"My heart goes out to her family who are good people, and are suffering the greatest loss anyone could bear. I hope everyone can give them space to heal in this most difficult time. Godspeed Michelle. You are missed," Marsters added.

• Michelle Trachtenberg has died, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider.
• The 39-year-old actor was known for roles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Gossip Girl."
• She made her film debut as a child actor in 1996, playing the title role in "Harriet the Spy."

Michelle Trachtenberg has died at age 39.

A spokesperson for the New York Police Department told Business Insider that Trachtenberg was found dead at One Columbus Place, a luxury high-rise apartment complex near Central Park in Manhattan. Police had responded to a 911 call at about 8:01 a.m. and found Trachtenberg unconscious and unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The New York Post and ABC earlier reported the news, citing police sources.

According to the authorities, the death is not being treated as suspicious. A cause of death hasn't been determined.

A representative for Trachtenberg didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The former child actor was best known for her roles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Harriet the Spy," and "Gossip Girl."

Born on October 11, 1985, Trachtenberg began her career as a child actor at age 3. She started off in commercials, with her first on-screen appearance in an ad for Wisk detergent.

After bit parts in the second season of "Law & Order" and "Clarissa Explains It All," Trachtenberg landed her first regular role as Nona F. Mecklenberg in the second season of "The Adventures of Pete & Pete," appearing on the show from 1994 to 1996. She also appeared on the soap opera "All My Children."

Trachtenberg's breakthrough came when she was cast as the title character in "Harriet the Spy," which marked her feature film debut. Her performance as the titular 11-year-old aspiring sleuth won Trachtenberg a Young Artist Award for best leading performance in a feature film.

As a young teen, Trachtenberg returned to the small screen with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," in which she played Dawn Summers, the younger sister of the title character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Trachtenberg's character was introduced in the show's fifth season and quickly became a pivotal part of the teen supernatural drama, earning her a Teen Choice Award nomination for choice TV sidekick in 2001 and maintaining a main role through the series finale in 2003. For many fans, Dawn Summers remains the role for which they know Trachtenberg best.

However, her time on the popular show was not without its difficulty.

In 2021, Trachtenberg said there had been a rule that series creator Joss Whedon wasn't allowed to be in a room alone with her. She made the claim, which Whedon later denied in a New York Magazine interview, amid reports of Whedon's alleged history of abusive on-set behavior from other former "Buffy" stars like Charisma Carpenter.

Trachtenberg remained close with several of her "Buffy" costars, including her former on-screen sister, Gellar. In January, she posted a throwback photo of herself with Gellar in honor of Woman Crush Wednesday. "Slay all day! Always loved this twinning photo of us!" she captioned the picture.

After "Buffy" concluded, Trachtenberg continued to appear on TV and in film throughout the 2000s, with recurring roles in the series "Six Feet Under," "Weeds," and "Robot Chicken" and memorable appearances in movies like "Ice Princess," "EuroTrip," and "17 Again."

In 2008, Trachtenberg landed her second career-defining role, as conniving rich girl Georgina Sparks in The CW series "Gossip Girl."

Trachtenberg's Georgina appeared in a recurring capacity through each of the series' six seasons, quickly becoming a fan-favorite as she battled for supremacy against Leighton Meester's Blair Waldorf.

The actor called Georgina, which earned her another Teen Choice Award nomination for choice TV villain in 2012, one of her favorite roles and relished playing a villain. "It's definitely a lot more fun than playing the good girl. I love the reaction you get. I never understood why some actors don't want to play villains or evil characters," she told Seventeen magazine in 2009.

In 2022 and 2023, she returned as Georgina in the second season of the "Gossip Girl" sequel series on Max. It was her last credited on-screen appearance.

Additional reporting by Natalie Musumeci.

• "The Monkey" is about a cursed wind-up monkey toy that causes someone to die whenever it's played.
• The movie from filmmaker Osgood Perkins is based on a Stephen King story of the same name.
• It's markedly different from the original story, with a much larger scale and more chaotic ending.

If you read Stephen King's 1980 short story "The Monkey" and went into Osgood Perkins' new movie "The Monkey" expecting basically the same thing, I have some bad news for you.

Perkins' absurdist horror-comedy actually takes very little from King's original work, beyond the lead characters' names and the conceit of a cursed monkey toy reappearing in two adult brothers' lives to once again cause chaos decades after they threw it into a dry well.

The thin connection makes sense: The filmmaker, who also wrote and directed 2024 breakout horror hit "Longlegs," told Business Insider that he read the story a few times before setting out to write his script and then didn't refer back to it again.

Instead, Perkins has made the story his own, adding multiple thematic layers to tell a story about fatherhood and generational trauma.

That ethos is laid out from the very first moments of the movie, when our hero Hal says in a voiceover: "I don't know if every father passes some secret horror to his kids, but mine did."

Here's what happens in "The Monkey," including how it ends, how it's different from the original story, and what that pale horseman represents.

'The Monkey' is part 'Final Destination,' part parable about fatherhood

"The Monkey" is jam-packed with gory (and increasingly outlandish) death scenes, as every time the monkey is wound up and bangs its drum, another person dies.

The catch, in the lore of both the short story and the film, is that the person who winds up the monkey can't be its victim. But that person also can't control the monkey and instruct it on who to kill. It's completely random — "like life," as the inscription on the monkey's box reads when Hal and Bill Shelburn (both played here by "The White Lotus" star Theo James) find it.

The monkey once belonged to the twins' absent father (Adam Scott in a very brief, funny cameo), a pilot who brought it home from his travels before ditching his family for good. In short order, we see the monkey kill the shopkeeper their dad desperately tried to return the toy to, Bill and Hal's babysitter, and their mother, Lois (Tatiana Maslany).

Hal is secretly responsible for their mother's death, having wound up the monkey once he had a sense of its power in an attempt to have it kill Bill, who had been bullying him at school.

The first third of the movie focuses on Bill and Hal's upbringing and early traumas, including the death of their Uncle Chip (played by Perkins himself) in a freak wild-horse stampede on a camping trip after he and their aunt Ida have taken custody of the orphaned boys. Chip's death finally prompts the brothers to drop the monkey down into a dry well to escape it — a gambit that seemingly works, at least until the point where the film picks up 25 years later.

In the present, an adult Hal works at a grocery store and has no relationship with Bill. Hal also has no relationship with his son Petey, opting to stay far away from the teenager, seeing him only once a year, in order to spare him the same type of trauma he experienced.

Just in time for Hal and Petey's annual visit, Bill calls Hal to inform him that Aunt Ida died in a freak accident (it involves fire, a bucket, and a mailbox), which means the monkey has finally returned. Hal road-trips to Ida's house with a clueless Petey, convinced by Bill to find the monkey to make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. All the while, the monkey continues to kill; a realtor selling Ida's house informs Hal that another local in town has died every day since Ida's death in a variety of ridiculous manners, including a lawnmower accident and a cobra attack on a golf course. (The realtor herself promptly gets killed by shotgun blast after one falls from the closet in Ida's house and discharges.)

Hal soon discovers the monkey's current handler is none other than Bill, who secretly knew Hal was responsible for their mom's death and had plotted for years to find the monkey again and use it to take revenge on his brother. The film then switches to Bill's point of view, rewinding back to the moment the boys threw the monkey down the well. Bill started getting signs of the monkey's reemergence in 2016 — the year of the monkey — and employed a local kid named Ricky to find it for him.

Ricky found it at Ida's estate sale after her death and brought it to Bill, who wound it up repeatedly to lure Hal to him. Bill's goal is to get Petey to keep turning the key until the monkey kills Hal, so that Petey will be responsible for Hal's death the way Hal was responsible for their mother's.

'The Monkey' ending (and the Pale Rider), explained

The original Stephen King tale ends with Hal and his young son, Petey (who's only 9, not a teenager, in the story), narrowly surviving their mission to sink the cursed monkey in a lake. There's far less bloodshed (except for the hundreds of dead fish the waterlogged monkey claims as its victims), and it ends on a relatively happy note. The monkey is defeated! They're rid of it! Not too many people died!

The ending of the movie is in some ways similar — Hal and Petey both still live — but focuses more on the adversarial dynamic between Hal and Bill. One of the key changes Perkins made to the story was making Hal and Bill twins, and not just brothers as they were in the story, and also making Bill the villain who's coming after Hal for revenge.

In the movie, Ricky, who brought Bill the monkey, wears his own deadbeat dad's police uniform to take Hal and Petey at gunpoint to Bill's hideout, an abandoned hotel he's fitted with more deadly "Home Alone"-style booby traps. Ricky, who's become obsessed with the monkey because it reminds him of his absent father, forces Petey to go into the hotel to find the monkey and bring it back to him.

Unfortunately for Ricky, Bill finds Petey first and prompts him to wind up the monkey, which kills Ricky (via a swarm of wasps down the throat) next. Hal then enters the hotel and Bill becomes furious when he realizes the monkey once again didn't kill his brother. He attempts to force the monkey to drum without winding the key, which causes the monkey to go berserk, drumming uncontrollably and setting off a series of disasters around town — a plane with skydivers crashes into a nearby church, with skydiving newlyweds falling through the ceiling of Bill's hideout.

Inside Bill's hotel, he, Hal, and Petey are still unharmed. Hal and Bill finally hash out their differences and reconcile — only for the monkey to suddenly drum once more and set off a chain reaction that ends up cannonballing Lois' bowling ball into Bill's head, crushing his skull.

With Bill now dead, a not-overly-perturbed Hal and Petey leave town in their car, passing by all of the dead or dying people affected by the monkey's rampage. They resolve to keep the monkey with them, to ensure the key isn't turned again by anyone: "We keep it close. We accept that it's ours and hold on tight," Hal tells Petey.

As they wait at an intersection, a ghostly man on a pale horse passes by and gives them a knowing nod. Perkins confirmed to BI that the Pale Rider is a representation of death and how death is depicted as the fourth and final of the four horsemen of the apocalypse in the bible's Book of Revelation.

Perkins expected the studio and producers to push back on his inclusion of the Pale Rider, thinking that the general audience wouldn't get such a literary reference. But instead, he was pleasantly surprised.

"Conversely, everybody was like, that's a weird thing we got to put in that people are going to either get or not get," Perkins said.

"And in any case, it's visual and it's sort of poetic and magical," he added. "And I just kind of felt like by the time we got to that point in the movie, it's so patently kind of surreal and absurd, I might as well really press the button."

The ending of "The Monkey" is surprisingly hopeful, with Hal suggesting to Petey that they go dancing — something that his mother Lois loved to do with Bill and Hall when they were kids. It's a far cry from the far more bleak ending of "Longlegs," but Perkins knows exactly what he wants audiences to feel when the credits roll on "The Monkey."

"I think it's the same thing that everybody's supposed to feel when they walk away from any horror movie," he says, "which is, 'Look at me, I'm still alive!'"

"The Monkey" is in theaters now.

• FBI agent Loretta Bush participated in Netflix's new docuseries "American Murder: Gabby Petito."
• Bush's appearance on the docuseries went viral when she got visibly choked up talking about her job.
• Viewers, and particularly lesbian viewers, were immediately captivated by Bush. Here's what to know.

Netflix's latest true-crime docuseries "American Murder: Gabby Petito" digs deeper into the story of the 22-year-old aspiring travel influencer who was killed by her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, while on a cross-country road trip in 2021.

As the many true crime fans who have long followed the Petito case know, it's a bleak and upsetting story. But viewers have already found light in the darkest of places: by thirsting after FBI agent Loretta Bush, who was featured in the doc.

Bush works out of the bureau's Tampa division, which covers 18 counties in central and southwest Florida, including where Petito and Laundrie lived with Laundrie's parents in North Port, Florida. She appears toward the end of the second episode of the three-part series, at the point when Petito's 2021 disappearance in Wyoming became a federal investigation.

The first shot of Bush instantly establishes that she's, quite frankly, cool as hell: She strides across the screen wearing black sunglasses with her badge on her hip and tattooed arms visible. The first words out of her mouth are about how she takes her job in law enforcement very seriously and how important it is to her to get closure for victims' families.

If the dozens of thirsty TikTok videos and hundreds of comments on them are any indication, it was love at first sight for many viewers. Bush is the subject of fancam edits set to Ethel Cain's "Crush" and Usher's "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)," where commenters are talking about getting lost in her blue eyes and how they hope she doesn't end up getting fired by Elon Musk and DOGE.

"I felt so bad falling in love with Loretta while watching this sad documentary but OH MY GAWD 🥵 😍," one commenter wrote.

There's a whole subgenre of self-identified straight women who joke that they're now questioning their sexuality because of their attraction to Bush.

Some are also campaigning for Bush to get her own Netflix show. About what? Anything, really; her newfound legion of fans just wants to see more of her.

It's not all about physical attraction. Many of the comments also reference a moment near the end of the docuseries in which Bush gets visibly choked up talking about her work on missing persons cases and how many of them remain unsolved despite the outsized attention to Petito's case in particular.

"This story is unique, but I will tell you that there are so many other people out there missing and they are important too. My work is important. Victims' lives are important," Bush says in her final appearance in the docuseries.

Bush herself doesn't appear to have publicly available social media profiles, at least not any that her dedicated fans have been able to track down.

Several commenters on TikTok have identified themselves as friends of Bush's in real life. They say that Bush isn't on social media but that she's aware of her newfound viral fame and they've been sharing all the videos with her. They also said that Bush is married. (Netflix declined Business Insider's requests for comment for more information on Bush.)

Another person who knows about Bush's TikTok fame agrees that she's a gem: Petito's father, Joe Petito.

"I told her that she is a TikTok sensation. 😎😎😎 She really is such an amazing person. We love her," Joe Petito commented on a video about Bush.

• "Love Is Blind" season eight features singles from the Twin Cities area.
• Mason and Meg shared a connection in the pods but didn't get engaged on the show.
• A new teaser for the rest of the season shows they may have gotten back together.

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for the first nine episodes of "Love Is Blind" season eight.

"Love Is Blind" is a Netflix series that has resulted in at least a few marriages — but not everyone meets their beloved.

The show's eighth season features singles from the Twin Cities area, bringing the franchise back to the heartland of the United States. Since it first launched in 2020, Netflix has spun off "Love Is Blind" into multiple international franchises and a key part of its unscripted series business.

This season, five couples make it out of the pods and on to their engagement trip. In a twist, a few couples from the pods — including 33-year-old cinematographer Mason and 31-year-old oncology nurse Meg — decide not to get engaged. At the beginning of episode six, the two seemingly split up.

Because they didn't get engaged, Meg and Mason don't feature in the three new episodes that aired this week, which focused on the couples' getaway and meeting each others' families back home. However, the new teaser at the end of episode nine shows that they'll be back this season, and heavily hints that their relationship may not have ended for good.

Mason's multiple connections affect his relationship with Meg

Mason and Meg hit it off on their first date in the pods. Mason, however, has another connection with 28-year-old artist Madison, who in turn is also dating 29-year-old commercial real estate broker Alex in the pods.

In episode two, Mason continues to bond with both Meg and Madison. In that episode, Meg learns about Mason's connection with Madison and starts to worry about their connection. Meanwhile, in episode three, Madison continues to bond with Alex — and without naming names, Mason essentially tells Alex that Madison is his top pick, not Meg.

Things start to come to a head later in that episode when Madison and Mason talk about the fact that they're both dating other people. During that date, Madison tells him that Meg is focused solely on Mason.

On their following date in episode four, Mason tells Madison that he's committed to her. She asks if he feels like she put an ultimatum on him, which he denies, and then thanks him for telling her. Later, outside the pods, Madison says that Mason is her number two. On a date with Alex later in the episode, Madison says that she intends to pursue a relationship with him. In episode five, she breaks up with Mason.

Later, in episode five, Mason tells Meg that he "validated Madison," but it ultimately "did not feel right."

"I clearly said it to the wrong person," he says.

Meg, however, is skeptical and asks Mason if he's now choosing her by default because Madison dumped him for Alex. In response, he tells her that she was always his first choice.

Their date continues in episode six. Mason reiterates his feelings, but Meg says that she won't be able to shake the doubt that he chose her because Madison became unavailable. She ends her relationship with Mason amicably, wishing him well.

"I feel a lot of regret," Mason says in a confessional. "I should never have validated Madison over Meg, and that's something that I'm gonna have to live with."

Ultimately, Madison and Alex don't get engaged in the pods either, after having a disagreement over Madison's breakup with Mason.

Meg and Mason don't appear to follow each other on Instagram

As of the season eight premiere, Meg and Mason don't seem to follow each other on Instagram. Mason also doesn't appear to follow Madison or Alex. Meg doesn't appear to follow Madison, nor vice versa.

Both Meg and Mason have posted about the new season on social media. Mason even poked fun at getting dumped by Madison over a plate of pancakes.

Despite not getting engaged, Mason and Meg's time on the show doesn't appear to be over. In a teaser for the next batch of episodes shown at the end of episode nine, Meg and Mason reunite with other participants in a pod squad meet-up — and crucially, they seem to arrive together.

"The second I got my phone, I was like, 'How's Mason?'" Meg recounts.

"He's a huge liar," Madison, now with bright pink hair, emotionally says. It's unclear if she's replying directly to Meg in the context of that conversation, or referring to someone else since she doesn't say Mason's name.

They're also not divulging anything about their current relationship status in interviews with press, though what they have said doesn't rule out a reunion.

When reflecting on the love triangle and her "Love Is Blind" experience, Meg told Glamour that she's "very happy with how life has transpired since the show ended."

Mason, for his part, told Vulture that Meg was "the clear person" for him and that he knew all along the two were "super, super compatible." He even compared their romance to the movie "Moulin Rouge," calling their relationship "the perfect love story that should have been, but ends in tragedy."

Dramatic? A bit. But it's also very much the kind of thing a guy who was still trying to make amends to his current girlfriend for his treatment of her might say.

Meg also seems to be (maybe inadvertently) dropping some unsubtle hints on social media. Most tellingly, she liked (and then unliked) a comment on one of her posts where someone said they wanted Meg and Mason to be the "Zack and Bliss" of this season.

Zack and Bliss are the fan-favorite season four couple who got engaged post-pods after Zach initially proposed to another contestant instead of her. They ultimately married in the season finale, and went on to have a child together.

At this point, it's impossible to tell for certain whether Meg and Mason got back together outside the pods. We'll just need to tune into the next batch of episodes and hear them explain what happened during the pod meetup.

The first nine episodes of "Love Is Blind" season eight are now streaming on Netflix.

• "1923" and "Reacher" both returned for new seasons this week.
• Movies that came out in 2024, like "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" and "Nosferatu," are now streaming.
• True-crime fans can check out Netflix's new docuseries about Gabby Petito's death.

We're officially closing in on the end of awards season.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards are streaming on Netflix this week, and there are new streaming options for viewers prepping for the Oscars.

New to streaming is the 2024 Oscar-nominated "Nosferatu" remake, which got a nod for special effects makeup artist David White's stunning work on Count Orlok (plus three other nominations).

Another 2024 theatrical release, "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," has also made its way to streaming.

On the TV side, "Reacher" and "Yellowstone" prequel "1923" both returned for new seasons, while new series like "A Thousand Blows" and "Suits LA" made their debut.

Here's a complete rundown of all the best movies, shows, and documentaries to stream this weekend, broken down by what kind of entertainment you're looking for.

"Reacher" is back.

The popular action crime series, starring Alan Ritchson as a former US Army veteran turned vigilante, returned for its third season.

Streaming on: Prime Video

For more action thriller vibes, you can check out "Elevation."

The postapocalyptic tale takes place in a world where apex predators called Reapers have forced humanity to live in small communities 8,000 feet or higher above sea level to stay safe.

"Captain America: Brave New World" star Anthony Mackie plays a widowed dad trying to save his son's life.

Streaming on: Max

For something family-friendly, stream "Sonic the Hedgehog 3."

The third installment of the surprise hit film franchise based on the video-game series sees Jim Carrey play dual roles — the returning villain Ivo Robotnik and Robotnik's grandfather, Gerald.

Streaming on: Paramount+

Fans of true-crime can stream "American Murder: Gabby Petito."

The new docuseries explores the 2021 death of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old aspiring influencer who vanished while on a road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie.

Streaming on: Netflix

Try "Zero Day" if you want a show you can speed through.

The new drama, with headlining stars Robert de Niro, Lizzy Caplan, Angela Bassett, and Dan Stevens, is Netflix's latest entry into the prestige TV game.

The political thriller is a quick watch with only six episodes.

Streaming on: Netflix

The SAG Awards are on this weekend.

The 2025 awards season has been a messy one, and it'll finally end with the Academy Awards on March 2.

The SAG Awards, although less prestigious than the Oscars, are the last major awards show that might indicate who the frontrunners are before Hollywood's biggest night.

Streaming on: Netflix

"A Thousand Blows" is a drama inspired by a true story.

The new series from the creator of "Peaky Blinders" focuses on the gritty bare-knuckle boxing scene in London's East End in the 1880s. It's also inspired by a true story.

Streaming on: Hulu

Horror fans can finally stream "Nosferatu" at home.

Robert Eggers' reimagining of the horror classic stars Lily-Rose Depp as the tormented Ellen Hutter, Nicholas Hoult as her devoted husband Thomas, and Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok — the titular nosferatu who's obsessed with having her.

(Bonus: Tubi has the original "Nosferatu.")

Streaming on: Peacock

"1923" returns this weekend.

The "Yellowstone" prequel, starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, returns for its second season on Sunday.

Streaming on: Paramount+

The "Suits" spinoff is also premiering.

Stephen Amell stars in "Suits LA," a show set within the same universe as the USA Network hit "Suits."

We'll keep tuning in, at least until Gabriel Macht's eventual appearance as fan-favorite Harvey Spector from the original series.

Streaming on: Peacock

• Gabby Petito disappeared while on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie.
• After Laundrie returned home without Petito, he and his parents did not cooperate with police.
• Petito's remains were found, and Laundrie then died by suicide. Her parents have sued his parents over the death.

The disappearance of Gabby Petito gripped the world in 2021. Now, it's the focus of a new Netflix docuseries.

Petito, a 22-year-old New York native and aspiring vlogger who had set off on a cross-country road trip to build a career as a Van Life influencer, was reported missing by her parents after they hadn't heard from her.

Petito's parents also hadn't heard from their daughter's fiancé, Brian Laundrie, who was on the trip with her. Unbeknownst to them, Laundrie had returned home to Florida with their van — but without Petito.

Suspicion quickly fell on Laundrie, who refused to cooperate with police. He ultimately vanished as well, days before Petito's remains were uncovered in Wyoming. Laundrie's body was ultimately found in a Florida nature reserve near his parents' home.

According to the FBI, Laundrie's notebook, in which he took responsibility for Petito's death, was found near his remains.

Though the perpetrator himself was dead, the case didn't end there. Netflix's three-part docuseries "American Murder: Gabby Petito" explores the allegations that Laundrie's parents, Roberta and Christopher Laundrie, knew he killed Petito and kept silent to protect their son.

The Laundries have denied the claims.

Here's what happened to Laundrie's parents after the couple's deaths, according to BI's previous reporting.

Gabby Petito was killed while on a road trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie

Petito and Laundrie started dating in 2019 and later moved to North Port, Florida, to live near Laundrie's family. The two got engaged in July 2020 and set off on a cross-country road trip in their 2012 Ford Transit van in July 2021.

On August 12, 2021, Petito called her parents after getting into a physical altercation with Laundrie in Moab, Utah, where the police were called by a witness who reported a man slapping a girl. The police officers didn't pursue charges against either, instead advising Laundrie to check into a hotel to separate from Petito for the night.

Police bodycam footage from the Moab incident showed a distraught and crying Petito interacting with the officers.

Petito's last Instagram post was shared on August 25, 2021. Her family continued receiving texts from Petito's phone number until August 30. However, as the Netflix docuseries notes, authorities and Petito's family later came to believe that those were messages sent by Laundrie from Petito's recovered phone after he had already killed her in order to cover up the crime.

Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, became alarmed when her daughter, who'd meticulously posted updates about the trip on her Instagram account and regularly called home, stopped responding to her. After failing to get her on the phone, Schmidt finally reported Petito missing on September 11.

The Suffolk County Police Department, where Petito lived, coordinated with the North Port, Florida authorities, where Petito and Laundrie had been living with Laundrie's parents, in their initial investigation. They ultimately recovered the van at Laundrie's parents' residence. They learned Laundrie had also returned home without his fiancée, prompting immediate suspicion.

Brian Laundrie's parents refused to speak with authorities, the press, or Gabby Petito's family

A North Port police spokesperson previously told Business Insider that their officer had made "an attempt to talk with Brian, and his family declined to make him available," instead telling them to speak with their attorney.

Laundrie's lawyer made several public statements to the press throughout the search for Petito, maintaining that Laundrie and his parents would not speak to the authorities, even as Petito's parents pleaded for their help at news conferences for their missing daughter.

Laundrie's family informed North Port police on September 17 that they hadn't seen Laundrie since he left for a solo hiking trip at Carlton Reserve near their home several days earlier. Two days after that, Petito's remains were found in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. A coroner later determined Petito's cause of death to be strangulation.

A federal arrest warrant for Laundrie was issued on September 22, and the Laundrie family's attorney told the press that his parents didn't know where he was amid speculation that they were concealing his location, which they denied.

Skeletal remains were found on October 20 after his parents joined search efforts. It was quickly confirmed to be Laundrie's. His cause of death was ruled a suicide in November 2021.

Laundrie took responsibility for Petito's death in a notebook found near the remains, according to authorities. As shown in the docuseries, Laundrie claimed that he'd found Petito injured and ended her suffering, a story that was inconsistent with the autopsy report on her cause of death.

Brian Laundrie's parents were sued over Gabby Petito's death but didn't face criminal charges

As the Netflix docuseries notes, no criminal charges were filed against the Laundries, despite the Petito family's attorney saying that prosecutors had at one point been considering whether to charge "additional individuals" in Petito's disappearance and killing.

Petito's family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Brian Laundrie's estate in 2022 in Sarasota County, Florida, where the Laundries live. In November 2022, a judge ordered Laundrie's estate to pay $3 million to Petito's estate. The Petito family's attorney said in a statement at the time that any recovered money would go to the Gabby Petito Foundation established in their daughter's honor.

As of February 2025, the family's lawyer told BI via email that the $3 million hadn't been paid, as the value of Laundrie's estate was "minimal."

Petito's parents filed a separate suit against Laundrie's parents and their attorney, Steve Bertolino, for emotional distress. The suit alleged that the three knew Petito was dead before her body was found and that they'd intentionally inflicted emotional distress on Petito's family by withholding information and issuing public statements that gave them "false hope" that Petito might still be found alive.

In a statement to BI at the time, Bertolino denied the allegations and maintained that the Laundries had no legal obligation to speak to the authorities or Petito's parents during the search for Petito.

According to a statement from Petito's parents shared by their attorney, the suit was settled in February 2024 "after a long day of mediation" for an undisclosed sum.

"All parties reluctantly agreed in order to avoid further legal expenses and prolonged personal conflict," the statement read.

"Our hope is to close this chapter of our lives to allow us to move on and continue to honor the legacy of our beautiful daughter, Gabby," it continued.

In a 2023 deposition for the civil case, viewed by BI, Roberta Laundrie maintained that she didn't know Petito was dead until the news reports that her body had been recovered on September 19, 2021.

Christopher Laundrie said in a 2023 deposition for the case that Brian had called him and told him "Gabby's gone" and that he might need a lawyer. He said he hadn't known what that meant exactly, even though he subsequently retained Bertolino on his son's behalf before Brian had returned to Florida. Roberta Laundrie also addressed the phone call in her deposition and said she didn't think "Gabby's gone" had meant she was dead.

The Laundries weren't the only ones to face legal action in connection with Petito's death. The Petitos also filed a $50 million lawsuit against the Moab police department, which alleged that officers were negligent in their handling of the domestic violence incident in Moab and that Petito's death a few weeks later could have been prevented if they had taken action then.

A judge dismissed that case in November 2024. At the time, Petito's parents indicated they planned to appeal. Their lawyer, in that matter, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

The Laundrie family didn't participate in interviews for the Netflix docuseries and declined to comment to the producers through their lawyer.

Lawyers for Roberta and Christopher Laundrie, and Stephen Bertolino didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from BI. The lawyer who represented Nichole Schmidt and Joe Petito in their suits against Laundrie's estate and his parents declined to comment.

"American Murder: Gabby Petito" is now streaming on Netflix.

• Alia Shawkat won't get another appearance in "Severance" season two.
• She told BI she was a huge fan of the show before briefly joining the cast.
• Shawkat appeared in the first episode as a new Lumon employee on Mark's team.

We're halfway through the new season of "Severance," and if you were hoping for a certain guest star's return, we have some bad news for you.

Business Insider spoke to Alia Shawkat on the red carpet for her movie "Atropia" at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Shawkat addressed her appearance in the "Severance" season two premiere and whether fans can expect to ever see her character again.

The short answer is no — not as far as Shawkat is aware.

"I'm only in the first episode," she confirmed.

"Unless they shot something without me knowing," she joked.

"Severance" follows employees of the fictional Lumon Industries who have agreed to be "severed." The procedure keeps the employee's work memories separate from their non-work memories, effectively creating split personalities that exist inside and outside the office building — "innies" and "outies."

Shawkat was one of several big names to appear in the second season of the breakout Apple TV+ hit, including "Game of Thrones" star Gwendoline Christie, "Nurse Jackie" star Merritt Wever, and Keanu Reeves, who had an uncredited role as the voice of the Lumon building.

In the season premiere, Shawkat plays Gwendolyn Y., an innie who joins the Macrodata Refinement team (MDR) that Mark S. (Adam Scott) runs. Gwendolyn is one of several new employees who suddenly show up at Lumon, having replaced Mark's friends and coworkers Dylan G. (Zach Cherry), Helly R. (Britt Lower), and Irving B. (John Turturro) after the group managed to remotely awaken their innies in the outside world, an incident dubbed the "Macrodat Uprising."

Mark, desperate to get his friends back, sabotages his new team as a distraction to reach the mysterious Lumon board and demand their return. It works, and Gwendolyn and the other newbies aren't seen again (at least as of episode six, which aired Friday).

Shawkat's casting, announced in October 2022, generated excitement among viewers. Even though her appearance was effectively a cameo, Shawkat loved her brief time on the set. She praised the show and said she was a big fan even before her guest spot.

"I love being a part of that world," she told BI. "It's fun to be a part of something that's so specific and unique. And as an actor, you hope you get lucky enough to be in those worlds."

New episodes of "Severance" season two are released weekly on Fridays on Apple TV+.

• The first teaser for "Good American Family" was released this week.
• The new Hulu show is based on the true story of Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace Barnett.
• Ellen Pompeo plays Kristine Barnett, Natalia Grace's adoptive mother, who said the girl was really an adult.

The true story behind the upcoming Hulu show "Good American Family" proves that reality can be stranger than fiction.

The streamer released the first trailer for the series this week, which quickly accumulated over 2.5 million views on YouTube.

The clip centers on Kristine Barnett (Ellen Pompeo), a mom and wife living a seemingly idyllic life who receives a call from an adoption agency that a Ukrainian orphan needs a home — a little girl named Natalia Grace.

Mark Duplass plays Kristine's husband, Michael Barnett, and Imogen Faith Reid plays Natalia Grace.

Here's what you need to know about the real people the show is based on and the complicated true story behind it.

Natalia Grace's adoptive parents said she was an adult posing as a child

Natalia Grace's story was first publicized in 2019 after her adoptive parents were charged with neglect, which they denied.

Kristine and Michael Barnett, an Indiana couple who have since divorced, adopted Natalia in 2010. At the time, they were told that the girl, who has a form of dwarfism, was 6 years old.

The Barnetts said they came to believe that Natalia, who they said had menstrual periods and pubic hair, was really a grown woman with a mental illness. Kristine Barnett said that Natalia terrorized their family, trying to kill them and pouring bleach into her coffee.

The Barnetts successfully petitioned the court to change Natalia's legal age from 8 to 22 in 2012, making her a legal adult. They then put Natalia up in an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, in 2013 and moved their family to Canada.

Natalia, who has always maintained she was a child, was left to fend for herself for years. She ended up in the care of Cynthia and Antwon Mans, another couple with multiple adopted children.

After a yearslong investigation, the Barnetts were charged with neglect. Michael was acquitted of the charges in October 2022, and the charges against Kristine were dismissed in March 2023.

Natalia Grace's story was told in a multi-season docuseries

The description for "Good American Family" notes that the fictionalized drama is "inspired by multiple stories, perspectives, threats, interpretations, and accusations."

The convoluted saga was previously unpacked in a docuseries, "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace," which aired for three seasons on Investigation Discovery from 2023 to 2025. The series focused on the perspectives of several key people involved in the story.

The first installment told the backstory of the case and largely focused on Michael Barnett's perspective and the Barnetts' argument that Natalia was an adult. Natalia didn't participate in that installment but was the central focus of a follow-up, dubbed "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks," in 2024.

"Natalia Speaks" presented the story from her perspective, saying Kristine Barnett had been abusive to her and had concocted the story (which had eerie similarities to the plot of the 2009 horror movie "Orphan") in order to get rid of her. It even featured a confrontation between Natalia and Michael, who apologized to his former adoptive daughter for his actions and said he'd also been abused by Kristine.

The second installment appeared to end happily, with Natalia getting closure from Michael Barnett, taking a DNA test to determine her true age, and being formally adopted by the Mans family. However, the shocking ending of "Natalia Speaks" included a phone call that implied Natalia was at odds with the Mans family as well.

The "Final Chapter," an additional four episodes released in January 2025, followed Natalia's friction with Cynthia and Antwon Mans. She left them to live with Nicole and Vince DePaul, a couple with dwarfism who'd previously tried to adopt Natalia before the Barnetts did. Nicole DePaul accused Cynthia and Antwon Mans of stealing Natalia's money, which the Mans family has denied.

Today, Natalia is still living with the DePaul family, has a long-distance boyfriend in the UK named Neil, and apparently is estranged from the Manses, who remain her legal parents.

Kristine Barnett has maintained in public social media posts that Natalia was an adult all along, calling her former adoptive daughter a "sociopath," and has denied abuse allegations.

"Good American Family" will premiere on March 19 on Hulu.

• Beloved shows like "The White Lotus" and "Yellowjackets" are back this week.
• Netflix has a new season of "Love Is Blind" and a new original rom-com.
• Movies like "Flow" and "Sly Lives!" are now streaming, too.

Lots of buzzy new and returning shows are out this week.

"Yellowjackets" and "The White Lotus" are each back for a third season, while the eighth (!) season of "Love Is Blind" arrives just in time for Valentine's Day.

There are also several movies available, both new originals (like Netflix's frothy "La Dolce Villa") and theatrical releases (like the horror hit "Longlegs" and the Oscar-nominated "Flow") making their streaming debuts.

Here's a complete rundown of all the best movies, shows, and documentaries to stream this weekend, broken down by what kind of entertainment you're looking for.

Music fans should watch "Sly Lives!"

Questlove, who won acclaim for his 2021 directorial debut "Summer of Soul," focuses his second documentary feature on the groundbreaking funk band Sly & The Family Stone. "Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)" details the band's legacy in the music industry, featuring interviews from Andre 3000, Chaka Khan, Q-Tip, and Clive Davis, among others.

Streaming on: Hulu

And for Broadway lovers, there's "Waitress: The Musical."

The Tony-nominated Broadway show, based on the 2007 film of the same name, features songs composed by Sara Bareilles. The filmed version of "Waitress: The Musical" features Bareilles as Jenna, a small-town waitress stuck in an abusive marriage.

Streaming on: Max

For something family-friendly, watch "Flow."

The Oscar-nominated animated movie — Latvia's entry in the best international feature category — follows a cat (dubbed simply "Cat") who embarks on an epic journey after its home is destroyed by a devastating flood.

Streaming on: Max

"Yellowjackets" returns this week.

Yes, the teen Yellowjackets are still stranded in the wilderness when season three returns — and no, we're not much closer to figuring out what, exactly, is going on there and if it's something definitively supernatural.

The present-day portion of the story, meanwhile, picks up after the unexpected death of adult Natalie (Juliette Lewis) in the season two finale.

Streaming on: Paramount+ with Showtime

So does "The White Lotus."

HBO's hit satirical anthology series returns for its third season, this time following guests and employees at the Thailand property of the fictional White Lotus resort chain.

Streaming on: Max

And another new season of "Love Is Blind" is here.

The eighth season of "Love Is Blind" follows singles in Minneapolis looking for love. Five couples leave the pods engaged, but as per usual it's not likely all five will make it to the altar.

The first six episodes (featuring the entire blind-dating pod portion of the "dating experiment" and the first episode of the couples' getaway trip) are out now.

Streaming on: Netflix

"Cobra Kai" aired its final episodes.

The series finale of the "Karate Kid" spinoff/reboot aired this week, bringing the redemption arc of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) to its conclusion. But fear not: the ending of "Cobra Kai" season six, part three won't spell the end of the franchise, which is getting a new movie in May.

Streaming on: Netflix

Looking for something light and romantic? Check out "La Dolce Villa."

Netflix's latest original rom-com centers on a businessman (Scott Foley) who unexpectedly finds love after he travels to Italy to stop his daughter from restoring a dilapidated villa.

Totally how most of these 1-euro home renovations go!

Streaming on: Netflix

Or "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy."

Bridget Jones' story, which kicked off with the first film in 2001, finally comes to an end with the fourth installment. "Mad About the Boy" finds a widowed Bridget (Renée Zellweger), now a mom to two kids, torn between two new love interests several years after the death of Mark Darcy (Colin Firth).

Streaming on: Peacock

Excellent news for horror lovers: "Longlegs" is finally streaming.

The indie release from filmmaker Osgood Perkins was one of the biggest (and most successful) movies of 2024 — largely thanks to Neon's brilliant marketing campaign that built up anticipation through cryptic teasers and a mysterious billboard with a phone number that led callers to pre-recorded messages from Nicolas Cage's Longlegs, the film's enigmatic villain.

Go watch and and then come back here for a rundown of the "Longlegs" ending.

Streaming on: Hulu

• Devin is the last man to propose on "Love Is Blind" season eight.
• He struggles to choose between Virginia and Brittany in the first half of the season.
• Here is what we know about Devin and Virginia's relationship status.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the first six episodes of "Love Is Blind" season eight.

Devin proposes to Virginia in episode six of "Love Is Blind" season eight after being caught in a love triangle. But it seems his ex may be back in the picture in next week's episodes.

In the new season of Netflix's hit dating show, Devin, a 29-year-old director of a youth sports company and a high school basketball coach, connects with two women in the isolated pods: Brittany, a 35-year-old partnership executive, and Virginia, a 34-year-old healthcare recruiter.

Devin and Brittany bond over basketball and their dads having the same first name. During their first pod date, Devin and Virginia discover they went to the same high school at different times.

Devin struggles to choose between the two until episode four when Brittany reveals that she has dated women. He tells her he needs time to process this information, which Brittany doesn't appreciate.

During their next pod date in episode five, Brittany and Devin agree to stop dating, so then Devin focuses his energy on Virginia. Devin is the last man to propose in the pods.

In the three newest episodes, which premiered on Friday, the couple has a great time on their honeymoon, but when they return, Virginia drops a bombshell: She wants a prenup.

Devin is initially unsure but seems to agree after their conversation. However, the preview at the end of episode nine shows Devin appearing to be annoyed at the prenup in a future conversation.

The preview also teases Devin meeting Brittany face-to-face, which could imply that the love triangle is restarting again, unless it's a red herring.

Devin doesn't follow Virginia or Brittany on Instagram

Before the season finale, it is hard to tell on social media who is still dating, as "Love Is Blind" participants withhold this information to prevent spoilers.

Ahead of the series' release, Virginia and Devin did not follow each other on Instagram, unlike other couples from the season. But Virginia is now following Devin and many of her castmates.

Devin is still not following any of his castmates on Instagram or TikTok.

This could indicate that the couple had split, or it could be a red herring. Some of the most successful "Love Is Blind" couples, like Garrett and Taylor from season seven, also weren't mutuals as the season aired.

As for Brittany, she is following Devin but he doesn't follow her back.

Fans will have to wait until the finale airs in March for confirmation of Devin and Virginia's relationship status.

The first six episodes of "Love Is Blind" season eight are now streaming on Netflix.

• Check out new shows like "Apple Cider Vinegar" and "The Z-Suite" this weekend.
• Movies like "Kinda Pregnant" and "We Live in Time" are also streaming.
• Plus find out how to stream the Super Bowl.

If you love fictionalized dramas about shocking true (or at least partly true) stories, you're in luck: Netflix has released yet another one this week.

"Apple Cider Vinegar" dramatizes the story of a popular wellness influencer who told her followers she had brain cancer. The only problem? It was a complete lie.

There are also other new and returning shows to stream this weekend, like Tubi's workplace comedy "The Z-Suite" and the premiere of "The Kardashians" season six.

Looking for a movie to watch instead? There's the new Netflix original rom-com "Kinda Pregnant," and two 2024 theatrical releases finally getting their streaming debut: "Piece by Piece" and "We Live in Time."

Here's a complete rundown of all the best movies, shows, and documentaries to stream this weekend, broken down by what kind of entertainment you're into.

For a true-ish story, watch "Apple Cider Vinegar."

Netflix's latest fictionalized drama is about Belle Gibson, a real-life wellness blogger who built an empire off of the lie she had cancer. Kaitlyn Dever (who'll next appear in "The Last of Us" season two) stars as Gibson.

Streaming on: Netflix

Love workplace comedies? Check out "The Z-Suite."

"Gilmore Girls" star Lauren Graham leads this new workplace comedy, playing an ad agency exec who's "canceled" and then replaced by her company's Gen Z social media team.

Streaming on: Tubi

You might have heard about a little thing called the Super Bowl.

The Eagles and the Chiefs are facing off on Sunday. Kendrick Lamar, who is fresh off a glut of Grammy wins, is set for the halftime show.

Streaming on: Tubi

History buffs can check out Kevin Costner's new show.

Off the success of Kevin Costner's 2022 docuseries "Yellowstone: One-Fifty," about the history of the national park, he's reteamed with Fox Nation for another, similarly themed unscripted series.

In "Yellowstone to Yosemite with Kevin Costner," the actor, who executive produced this three-parter in addition to hosting it, traces the 1903 Yosemite expedition undertaken by then-president Theodore Roosevelt and the naturalist John Muir.

If you love history or awe-inspiring landscapes, this one's for you.

Streaming on: Fox Nation

Reality TV fans can tune into "The Kardashians" premiere.

The sixth season of the KarJenner clan's rebooted reality show picks up with Kim Kardashian heading to the White House, Khloé reuniting with her ex-husband Lamar Odom, and Kourtney turning 45.

Streaming on: Hulu

Want a rom-com? Stream "Kinda Pregnant."

Amy Schumer plays a woman who fakes being pregnant after becoming jealous of her expecting best friend. When she meets a new love interest, she's forced to keep up the ruse.

Streaming on: Netflix

"Invincible" returned this week.

The acclaimed adult animated superhero show, following Steven Yeun's superhero Mark Grayson (aka Invincible), is back for its third season.

Streaming on: Prime Video

Looking for a good cry? "We Live in Time" is now streaming.

The heartfelt, and surprisingly funny, drama focuses on Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield), a young couple who are tested when Almut is diagnosed with cancer. An unconventional love story, "We Live in Time" is told in a unique non-linear format.

Streaming on: Max

"Piece by Piece" is a must for music lovers.

Why make a straightforward musician biopic when you can make one where the subject is an anthropomorphized CGI chimp or, in the case of "Piece by Piece," made out of Legos? The 2024 film tells the life story of Pharrell Williams through Lego animation.

Streaming on: Peacock

• "Jurassic World Rebirth" will effectively be a franchise reset.
• David Koepp, who wrote "Jurassic Park" and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," returned for the 2025 sequel.
• Koepp told BI he was excited to "start over" and introduce new characters.

"A new era is born." That's the tagline for the upcoming "Jurassic World Rebirth." It's also the ethos for the film's thematic reset.

Universal released the film's first full trailer Wednesday, which introduces brand new characters in the saga and sets the stage for the multibillion-dollar franchise's reset after the poorly reviewed "Jurassic World Dominion."

The movie also marks the return of screenwriter David Koepp, who wrote the first two movies in the franchise created by Michael Crichton: the 1993 original "Jurassic Park" and its 1997 sequel "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," both directed by Steven Spielberg.

Koepp told Business Insider he was elated to revisit the beloved franchise and was eager to start from scratch after the conclusion of the second trilogy led by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

"The chance to start over in terms of tweaking the tone a little bit maybe, and bringing in all new characters, that was really exciting," Koepp said.

He said the goal was "to recapture a spirit and tone" of the first two films in the franchise.

"Those first two movies were some of my favorite writing experiences ever," Koepp said. "It's just a great, fun sandbox to play in."

"Rebirth" follows paleontologist Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), covert operations expert Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), and team leader Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) on a dangerous mission to the research facility for the original Jurassic Park, where they must retrieve DNA from the three biggest dinosaurs — creatures that were "too dangerous" for the original park — for medical research.

Koepp worked to integrate his deep love and knowledge of Crichton's books and the original franchise into the new movie, previously teasing that "Rebirth" would have a sequence from the original Crichton book he'd had to scrap from the original movies. There are also more explicit links to the first movie: Bailey told Vanity Fair that his character has a connection to Sam Neill's Dr. Alan Grant.

Koepp told BI that although "Rebirth" is an original story and is not based on the plots of any Crichton novel, he reread both of Crichton's "Jurassic Park" novels before writing and incorporated "a number of things" from them.

"There's so many little treasures in it," Koepp said of Crichton's "Jurassic Park" books. "It's 800 pages of great moments and great research and just really wonderful ideas."

Though little else is known about the film so far, Koepp is enthusiastic about the end result. "I'm delighted about it," he said. "I haven't seen it yet, but I can't wait."

"Jurassic World Rebirth" will be in theaters on July 2.

• Steven Soderbergh's latest film "Presence" is told from the perspective of a ghost.
• The spirit haunts a family, but its identity isn't revealed until the final minutes of the movie.
• Writer David Koepp spoke to BI about the twist and all the clues along the way.

"Presence" is a ghost story — with a twist.

The latest film from director Steven Soderbergh centers on a family — Rebekah (Lucy Liu) and Chris (Chris Sullivan), and their teenage kids Chloe (Callina Liang) and Tyler (Eddy Maday) — who move into a new home and quickly realize they're being haunted. The titular "presence" initially makes itself known only to Chloe, who's struggling with grief and depression after the sudden death of her best friend Nadia.

Chloe at first believes the spirit actually is Nadia, who died of an apparent drug overdose before the events of the movie. The final few minutes of the film reveal the truth about the ghost's identity and what it was there for all along.

Here's a breakdown of the ending, along with what writer David Koepp had to say about all the clues woven in before the reveal.

Major spoilers ahead for "Presence."

Who was the ghost in "Presence"?

In the final act of the film, Ryan (West Mulholland), Tyler's friend from school who Chloe had secretly been hooking up with, drugs Tyler and Chloe with Ambien and attempts to kill Chloe by suffocating her with ultra-thin plastic wrap while she's incapacitated. He reveals that he did the same thing to Nadia, who didn't die of a drug overdose after all, and also to another local girl. He's a teenage serial killer.

The Presence, who previously had only been able to move small objects (like Chloe's school books, and a spiked drink that Ryan had tried to give Chloe earlier in the film), is unable to intervene and watches helplessly as Ryan tortures Chloe. As he's cutting off her air supply, he explains that he gets off on control. In the beginning of their sexual relationship, he gave Chloe the power to call the shots. Now, he's taken that away by drugging her, giving him the ultimate power over her — the power to take away her life.

To save Chloe, the Presence rushes downstairs and awakens Tyler, who's still knocked out from the drink Ryan gave him. A disoriented Tyler runs up to Chloe's bedroom and tackles Ryan to stop him, inadvertently throwing the both of them out the second-story window. The Presence looks down at their dead bodies on the driveway below (calling back to the psychic's ominous earlier warning that the spirit was there to stop something to do with "the window that doesn't open").

The film then jumps forward to show the family moving out of the house, some time after Tyler's death.

Rebekah, sensing something, goes to look in the now-empty house's vintage mirror and sees the ghost of Tyler smiling back at her — revealing he was the Presence all along, haunting his family and his past self. The film ends with Rebekah screaming and crying in grief, and Tyler's ghost, with its purpose now fulfilled, exiting the house for the first time. He seemingly drifts off to the afterlife, through the open door and up into the sky.

There are several hints at the "Presence" ending earlier in the movie

Koepp, who previously worked with Soderbergh on the 2022 thriller "Kimi" and partnered with him again for the upcoming "Black Bag," said the movie's twist is meant to be completely clear by the end. In fact, there are clues baked in throughout, which reward a second viewing.

One very big hint, Koepp points out, is when the psychic woman Chris brings in to commune with the spirit at the recommendation of their realtor (Julia Fox) mentions that time functions differently for the dead.

"We accept without hesitation that a ghost can have haunted a house for a hundred years and it's been there all this time," Koepp said. "But if time works like that, why can't it be haunting a house three months from now?"

That theory is confirmed later on when the psychic returns to the house right before the climactic ending. She warns Chris that she had a vision and believes the spirit is there to prevent something that has yet to happen — in this case, Chloe's death by Ryan's hand.

There's an even bigger hint when Tyler, a stereotypical popular athlete, tells his family about a cruel prank he and his friends pulled on a girl at school (tricking her into thinking a boy was trying to hook up with her). Chris and Chloe are horrified, while Rebekah, who's unhealthily devoted to Tyler and has blinders on when it comes to her son's behavior, laughs along with him. The spirit becomes enraged listening to Tyler speak and goes upstairs to his room, trashing it and revealing its existence to the entire family for the first time.

Koepp says the outburst is a moment of intense self-loathing for the ghost, who still doesn't quite know who it is, why it is, or what it needs to do — Tyler, in his death, suddenly recognizes what a bad person he was in life.

"In my mind, there was sort of like a memory wipe [after death] and you're remembering perhaps who you were," Koepp said. "I think he's remembering who he was and seeing more fully who he was and does not like it."

Of course, Tyler redeems himself in the end, making the ultimate sacrifice when he dies saving his sister from Ryan, who he brought into their lives to begin with.

It's only after Tyler fully recognizes who he was in life and completes his afterlife purpose by saving his sister that he's able to reveal his identity, appearing in the vintage mirror. But why does Ghost Tyler suddenly reveal himself to Rebekah, not Chloe, at the end of the movie?

According to Koepp, it's because Rebekah has now experienced the ultimate trauma: the death of her beloved child. Trauma, as the psychic's husband explained to the family earlier in the film, "unlocks" a sensitivity to otherworldly spirits. Chloe, who'd experienced the trauma of Nadia's death early on, was initially the most susceptible to sensing the Presence; now healed, Chloe doesn't see Tyler in the mirror, but Rebekah does.

"Presence" is a ghost story, but it's also a family drama and, in some ways, a coming-of-age film for the Presence (aka Tyler), who's "learning to be a ghost," as Koepp puts it.

"If you look at the opening shots of the movie, they're very tentative — they're looking around, trying to figure out what's going on. The presence is confused and a bit at sea," he said. "Then as things progress, the ability to reveal itself grows and then ultimately the ability to intervene in events. There's a lot of growth there."

"Presence" is in theaters now.

• Joan Chen gained international fame after appearing in "The Last Emperor" and "Twin Peaks."
• She says work in Hollywood "dried up" for her as she aged, which led her to return to China.
• Chen is now enjoying a career resurgence with roles in "Dìdi" and the Sundance movie "The Wedding Banquet."

Joan Chen was once dubbed "the young Elizabeth Taylor of China." But after early success in the 1980s and 1990s, she found her career in the United States stalling out.

"Things kind of dried up as I aged," Chen, now 63, told Business Insider at the Sundance premiere of her new movie "The Wedding Banquet." "I think I was that exotic flower in Hollywood. And once you pass a certain age, you're certainly not that."

Chen came to the US as a college student and gained international prominence after starring in the Oscar-winning Bernardo Bertolucci film "The Last Emperor" in 1987; soon after, her role as Josie Packard in "Twin Peaks" cemented her fame in the West. She was on rise — so much so that she eventually asked to be written out of "Twin Peaks" to pursue film roles, a move she later regretted.

When offers for good roles Stateside dried up, Chen returned to China, where she first found fame as a teenager. She credited her versatility in playing both English and Chinese-language roles as the skill that allowed her to continue working.

"I basically didn't come to LA for decades," Chen told BI. "I would travel to Australia or to China instead of traveling to LA."

The last few years have seen Chen enjoying a career resurgence in Hollywood. After landing a role in the 2023 FX series "A Murder at the End of the World" and appearing in the acclaimed coming-of-age indie comedy "Dìdi," Chen is being hailed as the breakout star of "The Wedding Banquet," the remake of the 1993 Ang Lee rom-com in which she stars alongside Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang, and Lily Gladstone.

Though Chen isn't quite sure why her fortune has changed again, she's grateful.

"I am really happy that I can be working here again," Chen said. "It's obviously a welcome thing."

"The Wedding Banquet" hits theaters April 18.

• John Malkovich stars in "Opus," former journalist Mark Anthony Green's directorial debut.
• Malkovich plays a legendary pop star who reemerges after years out of the spotlight.
• The actor tells BI he has no idea why Green thought of him for the role.

John Malkovich knows he isn't exactly the first person you'd think of to play a gyrating glam-rock icon decked out in a metallic suit and chunky heeled boots.

But he was director Mark Anthony Green's first and only choice to play Alfred Moretti, the reclusive yet beloved fictional pop star at the center of his new film "Opus."

"I wasn't sure why Mark Anthony thought of me," Malkovich told BI at the red carpet premiere of "Opus" at the Sundance Film Festival. "I wouldn't picture myself as a pop star, particularly."

The satirical horror movie is a warning about the cult of celebrity, taken to the extreme. It stars Ayo Edebiri as Ariel Ecton, a scrappy young music journalist who's invited to Moretti's compound as he prepares to release a new album after 30 years in seclusion.

Malkovich's eccentric artist has seemingly nefarious plans for the group he's invited to his estate, which also includes Ariel's dismissive editor Stan (Murray Bartlett), a talk-show host (Juliette Lewis), and an influencer (Stephanie Suganami).

In addition to the hip-thrusting and occasional lap dancing, Malkovich also sings some of the film's original songs. Green tapped Grammy-winning artist and producer Nile Rodgers and Rodgers' frequent collaborator The-Dream to write three songs for the film, and a vocal producer who worked with Rihanna to help Malkovich record them.

"I'm a baritone at best. I hadn't really sung, except in an opera, for 40 years. We started with the ballad, and the engineer said, 'You've got it, just go up an octave, you can do it.' And it was an octave I hadn't sung in since I wanted to be in a boys choir at age 11," Malkovich said in in the film's press notes. "So it was quite challenging."

• "Paradise," a new thriller, premiered this week.
• Shows like "Mythic Quest," "The Bachelor," and "The Recruit" returned.
• Movies including "Goodrich" and "You're Cordially Invited" are streaming.

Several new and returning shows aired this week.

Hulu's new series "Paradise" provides a twist on the typical political thriller. Meanwhile, shows including the Netflix drama "The Recruit" and the hit reality dating show "The Bachelor" both premiered new seasons this week.

Theatrical releases, like last year's "Goodrich," and new streaming-only films, like the rom-com "You're Cordially Invited," are out now, too.

Here's a complete rundown of all the best movies, shows, and documentaries to stream this weekend, broken down by what kind of entertainment you're into.

Looking for a new thriller? Check out "Paradise."

"Paradise" stars "This is Us" actor Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden. The story picks up with the suspicious death of a president (Marsden), in which Brown's character is implicated. The show isn't your standard political thriller, though — it introduces a pretty big twist in the first episode.

Streaming on: Hulu

"The Bachelor" returned this week.

Grant Ellis, who previously competed on Jenn Tran's season of "The Bachelorette," takes over as the lead in the 29th season of the long-running ABC dating show. Only the first episode has aired so far, but the 30-year-old day trader from New York has already made connections with early favorites like first impression rose winner Alexe Godin.

Streaming on: Hulu

So did "Mythic Quest."

The workplace comedy about a fictional video game studio, from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" costars Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day, returns for its fourth season. (An anthology spinoff, called "Side Quest," is also coming later this year.)

Streaming on: Apple TV+

"The Recruit" is back, too.

Noah Centineo returns as CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks. In the second season of the spy drama, he finds himself in the middle of a deadly situation in South Korea.

Streaming on: Netflix

The comedy "Goodrich" is now streaming.

Michael Keaton plays Andy Goodrich, a man whose life is turned upside down when he's left on his own with his 9-year-old twins. The typically hands-off dad ends up seeking help from Grace (Mila Kunis), his adult daughter from his first marriage.

It's the second feature from Hallie Meyers-Shyer — aka the daughter of rom-com legend Nancy Meyers.

Streaming on: Max

Good news for parents: "Ms. Rachel" is on Netflix now.

YouTube phenomenon and child educator Ms. Rachel recently signed a deal with Netflix to license a "curated compilation" of her existing content, including some of what exists already on her YouTube channel.

It's a natural progression for the content creator, who has over 13 million subscribers on YouTube and one of the platform's highest watch times on TVs.

Streaming on: Netflix

Craving a rom-com fix? Watch "You're Cordially Invited."

Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell star as two people who clash when weddings they're involved with are double-booked at the same venue. Sparks fly as a result of the chaos.

Streaming on: Prime Video

For a shocking true crime story, check out "Scamanda."

The new four-part ABC Studios docuseries "Scamanda" explores Amanda Riley's fake cancer scam. The blogger, whose story was previously featured on the hit 2023 podcast of the same name, pretended to have terminal cancer for nearly a decade, bilking friends and strangers out of thousands of dollars.

Streaming on: Hulu

• Glenn Close is giving her opinion on the Trump-Vance administration.
• Close played Vance's grandmother in the 2020 movie "Hillbilly Elegy," based on Vance's memoir.
• She told BI she's "very disturbed" by what's happening and referenced 1930s Germany.

Glenn Close may have once played JD Vance's grandma in a movie, but she doesn't appear to have much affection for him now.

On the red carpet for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival gala fundraiser, Close, who attended the gala and is Trustee Emeritus of The Sundance Institute, spoke to Business Insider about her feelings toward the Trump-Vance administration.

Though the actor previously had relatively positive experiences with Vance and his family while making "Hillbilly Elegy," the 2020 Ron Howard movie based on Vance's memoir of the same name, the star and outspoken supporter of women's rights and same-sex marriage said she was "disturbed" by the new administration's moves so far.

"I do not think it's what this country is," she told BI. "But I also read a lot of history, and I know what happened in Germany in the 1930s. And we think because we're America, it might not happen here. We're wrong."

Still, Close indicated she had hope that things could change in the future.

"If it's going to happen, we gotta get through it and hope that the pendulum swings back. Usually, that's what history does, but it could take a while," she added.

Close has spoken about her experiences with Vance several times before. Most recently, in a January appearance on "The View" to promote her new Netflix movie "Back in Action," the actor recalled how she and other "Hillbilly Elegy" cast members had met with Vance and other members of his family to inform their performances. She said they were "very generous."

Host Joy Behar remarked that Vance must have "had a whole different personality in those days than he has now," to which Close replied, "I don't know what happened."

"Power is probably the biggest aphrodisiac for a human being," Close added.

The White House did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment about Close's remarks.

• Amanda C. Riley is serving prison time for faking cancer and scamming supporters out of thousands of dollars.
• A 2023 podcast and a new docuseries cover her story, which also mentions her husband, Cory.
• Cory and Amanda have two sons together. Here's where Cory is today.

The story of Amanda C. Riley, a Christian woman in California who used her now-archived blog, "Lymphoma Can Suck It," to chronicle her experience after supposedly being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma was compelling from the start: A young woman blogging about having cancer in order to raise awareness and funds to help pay for her aggressive treatment was actually lying the whole time, leaching attention and more than $100,000 from her friends, family, and even strangers.

It's the reason the "Scamanda" podcast quickly became a megahit upon its 2023 release, and why a new ABC docuseries is telling the story for a second time, delving deeper into how Riley pulled off her scheme and how she was eventually caught.

Amanda pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in October 2021, and was sentenced to five years in federal prison in May 2022. She was also ordered to pay $105,513 in restitution to her victims. She's currently incarcerated at FMC Carswell, a federal prison in Ft. Worth, Texas, and is scheduled for release on October 15, 2026.

As of January 2025, no one else has been charged with crimes related to their involvement in Amanda's scheme. However, according to the "Scamanda" podcast and docuseries, family members helped her set up websites to acquire donations and contributed posts to her blog. Whether any of them knew Amanda did not actually have cancer or if they truly believed she was ill is unclear.

While Amanda's fake cancer scheme was in full force, her husband Cory Riley was simultaneously battling his ex-wife Aletta Riley in court for custody of their daughter, Jessa. Per the podcast, he cited his wife's supposed diagnosis and medical expenses to try and win custody of Jessa and get his child support payments lowered.

Here's everything we know about Cory Riley's life today.

Where is Amanda C. Riley's husband Cory Riley today?

Cory and Amanda first met when Amanda was a 17-year-old cheerleading coach hired to instruct one of Cory's then-wife Aletta's daughters — one of whom actually had cancer — how to dance. Per the podcast, Cory was about 29 years old at the time.

Cory and Aletta eventually divorced, and he married Amanda a few years later. The couple had two sons together, Carter and Connor, whom Amanda would proclaim were "miracles," since she claimed she shouldn't have been able to deliver a healthy baby while undergoing cancer treatment.

Though the family lived in the Bay Area outside of San Jose for most of the time Amanda was writing her cancer blog, they moved to Texas after Amanda lost her job as principal at Pacific Point Christian School in Gilroy, California.

"Scamanda" podcast host Charlie Webster told Glamour in a 2023 interview that Cory was "looking after his two kids in Texas" where Amanda was serving her sentence.

According to a divorce petition obtained by Today.com, Cory filed for divorce in January 2024. The filing indicated he was still living in Texas at that time.

• For seven years, blogger Amanda C. Riley told people she had Hodgkin's lymphoma, but she was lying.
• The mom of two swindled over $100,000 from 349 donors.
• A 2023 podcast and a new docuseries explore "Scamanda" and the fallout of Riley's fake cancer scheme.

In 2012, California-based Christian blogger and mother of two Amanda Christine Riley started "Lymphoma Can Suck It," a since-archived blog documenting her journey after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in her late 20s. She used her blog and social media to publicize her journey with the aggressive form of cancer, winning over sympathy from friends, strangers, and even celebrities who gave her money for her medical treatments.

The only problem? Riley didn't have cancer.

Riley, now 39, never had any cancer treatments because she never had the disease. And according to a criminal complaint filed by now-retired Internal Revenue Service (IRS) special agent Arlette Lee in July 2020, she had used the ruse of the illness to bilk people out of over a total of $100,000.

Riley was the subject of Charlie Webster's hit 2023 podcast "Scamanda," which exposed the blogger's web of lies with the help of Riley's victims, journalists, and law enforcement who worked the case. Now, a new four-part ABC news docuseries of the same name premiering on January 30 delves further into how Riley pulled off her scheme and what ultimately gave her away.

According to Lee's complaint, the former teacher and principal convinced friends, coworkers, a megachurch, and complete strangers (including singer LeAnn Rimes) to donate over $100,000 to her and her family to help cover the cost of her non-existent cancer treatments and travel for experiences she said she wanted to have before she died.

Riley shared on her blog multiple times that she was near death. But each time, she would experience a "terminal miracle" that would inexplicably put her cancer into remission, taking her followers on an emotionally manipulative ride. At one point, Riley even claimed that her pregnancy had "reversed the cancer." (It would always eventually return.)

According to the Department of Justice, Riley collected at least 349 donations over the eight years she perpetrated the fraud. They added up to more than $105,000.

So where is Riley today? The end of her story isn't a miracle, but the consequences she faced are now a part of legal history.

Amanda C. Riley faced repercussions for her fraud — and made legal history

The case wouldn't have happened without the work of investigative producer Nancy Moscatiello, who began an initial investigation into Riley after receiving an anonymous tip via email that she should look into the blogger in the summer of 2015.

Riley quickly went on the offensive, and attempted to sue Moscatiello for civil harassment (the judge threw out the suit).

Moscatiello's own sister had died of cancer, and she dug in, calling the hospitals and clinics Riley claimed to have been treated at, and closely examining the photos she posted on her blog. She took her findings to Jose Martinez, a now-retired San Jose-based financial crimes detective. Martinez contacted a facility where Riley claimed to be treated; an employee confirmed to him that Riley was not and had never been a patient there.

Martinez, realizing his scope was limited to San Jose, eventually passed the case on to the IRS, which had federal jurisdiction. IRS special agent Lee took the case over the line, subpoenaing every facility that Riley mentioned in her blog posts to establish that Riley didn't have cancer.

Even as she was being actively investigated — investigators raided her house in 2016 — Riley continued blogging and maintaining her claim she was being treated for cancer. She also took a job as a principal at Pacific Point, a Christian elementary school, and worked there for about three years, resigning just before federal authorities charged her with wire fraud.

Federal charges were eventually brought against Riley in July 2020, related to financial crimes associated with "a scheme to solicit donations from individuals to help her pay for cancer treatments she never needed nor received," the DOJ said.

During the trial, it was revealed just how far Riley went to perpetrate the fraud, including shaving her head to appear as though she was receiving chemotherapy, falsifying medical records, forging physicians' documents, and creating a library of photos depicting her fake cancer journey.

Riley pleaded guilty to wire fraud in October 2021, admitting in the written plea agreement that she knew she did not have Hodgkin's lymphoma and had never been diagnosed or treated with any type of cancer, and that she'd knowingly deceived people to convince them to give her money.

She was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $105,513 and sentenced to 60 months in prison in May 2022.

The case made IRS history for being the first financial conviction of someone who faked cancer for fundraising purposes, according to the "Scamanda" podcast.

Riley is incarcerated at FMC Carswell, a federal prison in Ft. Worth, Texas, that houses prisoners at all security levels and specializes in prisoners with mental and physical health needs.

In 2024, Riley's attorney filed a motion for compassionate release, asking for a reduced sentence because of new medical issues Riley claimed to have. The judge denied the motion after the government opposed it, "pointing to evidence that Defendant is once again feigning illness."

Her scheduled release date is October 15, 2026, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

"Scamanda" premieres January 30 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, airing weekly. Episodes will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.