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The first episode of Rick and Morty season 9 is a strong return for the show, but it also features a surprising shift in genre that’s quickly resolved. The season begins with a major reveal: Evil Morty has been secretly manipulating Rick. Rick describes their arrangement as something like being held hostage, but Morty gets uneasy when he sees they actually seem to enjoy working together.

This year has seen several additions to the popular neo-Western universe, including the new shows Marshals and Dutton Ranch, plus The Madison, a series originally planned as part of Yellowstone. The Madison initially broke records in March with its debut, becoming the most-watched premiere on Paramount+. However, Dutton Ranch quickly surpassed it, achieving an even larger and more successful release.

The critically acclaimed anime The Apothecary Diaries, winner of the 2026 Anime Award for Best Drama, has released its first trailer for a life simulation game. Players will step into the shoes of Maomao as she creates medicines and unravels mysteries set in a fantastical version of Tang Dynasty China. The game focuses on training and skill development.

Erica Messer, who began writing for Criminal Minds and later became its showrunner in 2011, recently told ScreenRant’s Grant Hermanns that the character Voit will continue to explore the complex duality of being a dark person while also attempting to maintain a normal life with his family.

Rewatching the first season after seeing the later ones is a stark contrast. The early episodes felt grand and expansive, with a real sense of a large world and genuinely important issues at stake. In comparison, the recent seasons have felt very limited, focusing on just a few locations and relying heavily on characters simply talking to each other.

I noticed something really cool in a recent episode! There’s a statue of David Corenswet as Superman in what looks like an office, and it’s from the upcoming 2025 movie. A fan shared a picture on Threads and tagged James Gunn, pointing out how awesome it was that the Euphoria crew got to film there. Someone corrected them, saying it was Peter Safran’s office, but Gunn jumped in to say it’s actually both of their offices – he just doesn’t spend much time there!