Entertainment
Most Shocking (Scripted) TV Moments of 2023 on December 22, 2023 at 11:32 pm Us Weekly
Most Shocking Scripted TV Moments of 2023 Eric Liebowitz/FX, Courtesy of Netflix, Apple TV+, The Fall of the House of Usher. (L to R) Kate Siegel as Camille L’Espanaye, Sauriyan Sapkota as Prospero Usher in episode 101 of The Fall of the House of Usher. Cr. Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix © 2023
From Logan Roy’s death on Succession to those major guest stars on season 2 of The Bear, 2023 was filled with shocking scripted TV moments.
The sophomore season of Jeremy Allen White’s comedy-drama became a critical darling upon its premiere in June as it followed Carmy (White) and Syd (Ayo Edebiri) as they prepared to open their new restaurant. While much of season 2 focused on a more team-oriented, optimistic approach, episode 6, titled “Fishes,” looked back at the complicated and messy relationship of Carmy’s family before the death of his brother, Mikey (Jon Bernthal).
“Fishes” follows Carmy as he returns home for a particularly intense Christmas, introducing the extended Berzattos family played by A-list stars like Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk and Sarah Paulson. It was the shock of seeing so many famous faces pop up without warning that series creator Christopher Storer hoped would throw viewers for a loop.
“I wanted it to be distracting,” Storer told the Los Angeles Times in June. “I wanted the viewer to be like, ‘What the f— is Bob Odenkirk doing here?’ I wanted it to really feel like when you walk into your family’s house and you are just overwhelmed by a cousin who you don’t want to talk to, an uncle you don’t want to see. You don’t even know who’s related to who, which I always feel like is the truest thing — everyone’s calling each other cousin and you don’t know what the f— is really going on, but you do know that even through all their weirdness and how dark it gets, they do kind of love each other.”
Keep scrolling for all the most shocking scripted TV moments of 2023:
Tom Wins on ‘Succession’ After Logan’s Death
This list isn’t an official ranking, but if it was, what goes down on the final season of Succession would be at the top. The first major plot twist comes with patriarch and business tycoon Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) early death in episode 3. The show then concludes with none of Logan’s four children succeeding him in his business ventures. Instead, Matthew Macfadyen’s Tom — the estranged husband of Logan’s daughter, Siobhan (Sarah Snook) — finds himself taking up the mantle as Waystar’s new CEO, leaving the Roy siblings in absolute disarray.
‘Barry’ Jumps Ahead 8 Years
Barry’s final season is filled with surprising moments — Guillermo del Toro cameo, anyone? — but the biggest twist comes when the series jumps eight years ahead. In episode 4, titled “It Takes a Psycho,” Barry (Bill Hader) and Sally (Sarah Goldberg) have taken on fake names and are living off the grid after fleeing Los Angeles. Barry is now a full-time stay-at-home dad homeschooling their son, John Jr. (Zachary Golinger), while Sally works at a diner battling alcohol dependence.
Bradley Protects Her Brother Over January 6th on ‘The Morning Show’
Season 3 of The Morning Show jumping back in time to make viewers relive the trauma of the past three years is a controversial choice. Those feelings only escalated with the decision to cover the events of the January 6th insurrection in Washington D.C. While Bradley (Reese Witherspoon) being there as a journalist is no surprise, her covering up brother Hal (Joe Tippett) fighting a security guard — which she caught on camera before she subsequently deleted the footage — is a shocking twist.
Kim Kardashian Slays Her ‘American Horror Story’ Character
Many viewers were hesitant when they heard AHS creator Ryan Murphy cast Kim Kardashian on season 11 of the horror anthology series. However, Kardashian proves she can contend with veteran actors when she delivers her character Siobhan’s sassy and snarky boss babe attitude with ease. In a season that’s been overall slow moving, Kardashian is a major highlight.
Eric Liebowitz/FX
Mel Has a Miscarriage on ‘Virgin River’
The controversial decision to put Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) through the trauma of a miscarriage is a shocking choice for the Netflix series. The character, who moved to Virgin River to mourn her late husband and their stillborn child, finally finds happiness in season 5 with Jack (Martin Henderson), but the couple are thrown for a loop when she loses a baby for the second time.
Virgin River Courtesy of Netflix
Sazz Pataki Dies on ‘Only Murders in the Building’
The reveal of the season 3 OMITB murderer may be predictable, but the real surprise comes in the finale’s final minutes. As the group is celebrating the opening night of Oliver’s (Martin Short) play, Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), Charles’ (Steve Martin) stand-in from his previous series Brazzos, tells him she has something sensitive to discuss. As she goes off to get more wine for the party, she is shot in the chest with a bullet, seemingly after someone mistakes her for Charles.
Pete Davidson’s Mom Catches Him Pleasuring Himself on ‘Bupkis’
Pete Davidson’s Peacock series, Bupkis, a comedy-drama based on a fictionalized version of the comedian’s life, was guaranteed to be wild. Still, viewers did not expect the show to open with a masturbation scene. To make matters worse, Davidson’s character gets caught pleasuring himself by his mother, Amy Davidson (Edie Falco). Did someone say, awkward?
‘And Just Like That’ Brings Aiden Back Into Carrie’s Life
And Just Like That season 2 brings back the other “big” love of Carrie’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) life, Aidan (John Corbett). Although his appearance in the Sex and the City 2 movie was met with mixed emotions, fans were calling for the character to return since the spinoff premiered in 2021. The twosome end the season apart, but Carrie certainly seems committed to making a relationship with Aidan work — finally.
An Ape Kills Kate on ‘Fall of the House of Usher’
It’s clear early on that Rodrick Usher’s (Bruce Greenwood) family will be killed off one by one on Mike Flannagan’s latest Netflix horror series. Daughter Kate (Camille L’Espanaye) being brutally murdered by genetically advanced apes, however, was not on viewers’ bingo cards. Each one of the Usher children meets their end in surprising and unique ways, but death by ape is the wildest twist.
The Fall of the House of Usher Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix
Golden Boy Dies on ‘Gen V’
Patrick Schwarzenegger seems like he was going to be a big presence on Get V’s inaugural season, but that all changes when his character, Golden Boy, gets blown to bits on the show’s first episode. His gruesome death is a driving force for the Amazon Prime series, leading to one plot twist after another.
Ted Lasso Ends Up Back in Kansas
After three seasons of trying to move on from his ex-wife and attending therapy for his anxiety, Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) ends the Apple TV+ series back home in the States coaching little league soccer. It’s understandable that the character wants to be closer to his son, but it’s shocking that the coach leaves his team and friends in the U.K. so willingly.
Apple TV+
A second surprise? Keeley (Juno Temple) and Roy (Brett Goldstein) not ending the show happily in love. Who would have thought?
‘Queen Charlotte’ Reveals King George’s Illness
While an enemies-to-lovers story fits into the Bridgerton franchise flawlessly, the series catches viewers by surprise when it’s revealed that King George (Corey Mylchreest) is suffering from a progressive illness that causes acute episodes of mania and memory loss. The extra layer adds depth to the story as Queen Charlotte (India Ria Amarteifio) must reconcile falling in love and doing what’s best for her husband.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Nick Wall/Netflix
Billy Baker Dies in a Bus Crash on ‘All American’
For a CW series, killing off a major player on a random season 5 episode is rare. All American shakes up the status quo entirely when patriarch Billy Baker (Taye Diggs) dies trying to save students from a bus crash. A father to twins Olivia (Samantha Logan) and Jordan (Michael Evans Behling), and a coach to protagonist Spencer (Daniel Ezra), his tragic passing sends the show’s characters reeling, causing the rest of season 5 to spin off its axis.
The ‘Riverdale’ Core 4 All Dating Each Other — and No One Is Endgame
When Riverdale headed back to the 1950s for its final season, fans were convinced there was nothing that could shock them (this show did introduce tickle rings, organ-stealing cults and the epic highs and lows of high school football, after all.)
The series finale proves it still has surprises up its sleeve when it’s revealed that Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes), Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and Archie (KJ Apa) have formed a romantic foursome in their last months of high school. To add to the twist, a time jump sees none of the potential core 4 pairings live happily ever in the future, either.
Frank and Bill’s Deaths on ‘The Last of Us’
The Last of Us deters from its normal format in season 1 episode 3 to focus on a standalone story of two lovers, Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), who meet after Frank gets trapped in one of Bill’s survivalist booby traps. The episode follows the lovers through decades of their lives together until Frank, suffering from a neurological disorder, decides he’s ready to move on. In a surprising twist, it’s revealed that Bill has also put pills in his own drinks and the twosome die together.
While Bill is a character in the video game the HBO series is based on, his story is vastly different as he chooses to live on after Frank’s death and even joins Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) on part of their journey.
Misty Accidentally Kills Natalie on ‘Yellowjackets’
Season 2 of Yellowjackets continues to flip between the ‘90s and the present-day timeline. By the season finale, the adult women find themselves at Lottie’s (Simone Russell) camp once again fighting for their survival. In a shocking last-minute twist, Misty (Christina Ricci) accidentally kills Natalie (Juliette Lewis) with phenobarbital while trying to save her. The episode ends with Natalie’s body being removed (and ruled as an overdose), Lottie being taken to a mental hospital and Misty living with the guilt of accidentally murdering her longtime friend.
Those Massive Guest Stars on Season 2 of ‘The Bear’
Season 2 episode 6 of The Bear, titled “Fishes,” takes viewers back to Carmy’s past as he reflects on a particularly heated Christmas dinner with his family. The tense dinner slowly builds until it boils over entirely, making for an uncomfortable and claustrophobic watch. “Fishes” is also stuffed with notable guest stars playing various Berzattos, with Curtis portraying matriarch Donna Berzatto, Odenkirk as Uncle Lee, Paulson as cousin Michelle and John Mulaney as Michelle’s partner, Steve. Gillian Jacobs also appears as Richie’s (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) then-wife, Tiffany.
From Logan Roy’s death on Succession to those major guest stars on season 2 of The Bear, 2023 was filled with shocking scripted TV moments. The sophomore season of Jeremy Allen White’s comedy-drama became a critical darling upon its premiere in June as it followed Carmy (White) and Syd (Ayo Edebiri) as they prepared to
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Entertainment
STREAMING PREMIERE · JUNE 13, 2026

Laughter Meets Inspiration: Our Ladies Show Lands on The Roku Channel
A bold new sketch comedy series for women premieres June 13 across the U.S., U.K., and Canada — arriving on the back of a festival-winning run that has critics and audiences already paying attention.
It isn’t every day a brand-new comedy arrives already wearing a row of trophies. Our Ladies Show does. The seven-episode inspirational sketch comedy series — created, written by, and starring Christin Jezak — begins streaming on The Roku Channel on Friday, June 13, 2026, available free to viewers in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.
Produced in partnership with global media services leader Encompass Digital Media, the series sets out to do something rare in today’s streaming landscape: make women laugh out loud and leave them lifted. In a media moment crowded with noise and cynicism, Our Ladies Show is a deliberate counterweight — comedy with a conscience, built for women of every age and background.

A Show Built Around Real Life — and Real Laughs
Each of the seven episodes opens with a monologue from one of the cast members introducing the theme, then rolls into three or more sketches that hit the subject from every comedic angle. The series tackles the things women actually carry: holding grudges, comparison, beauty, patience, gift giving, the importance of community, and dealing with anxiety.
The comedy comes from a place of warmth rather than mockery — a “laugh at ourselves” spirit that runs through a gallery of unforgettable characters: a nosey neighbor, an overwhelmed mom, relentlessly optimistic flight attendants, beauty pageant winners past their prime, and a crew of unruly campers with a counselor who simply cannot hold it together.
Then the show does something most sketch series don’t. In the final segment of every episode, the cast gathers in a living-room setting and invites the audience in — sharing real inspiration drawn from the theme, the sketches, and their own personal stories. It’s the moment the laughter turns into something that stays with you.

The Women Behind the Show
Our Ladies Show brings together three performers with serious range:
- Christin Jezak — creator, writer, and star (Miracle at Manchester, Raising Hope, Jimmy Kimmel Live!)
- Hillary Hawkins — (Primal, Nick Jr.’s Play Along, Gullah Gullah Island)
- Sarah Hernandez — (Nefarious, Unplanned, House of Payne)
“In a world with so much division and depression, I hope women of all ages and backgrounds will watch this show, laugh, be reminded of how beautiful, unique, and loved they are, and remember how much we need each other.”— Christin Jezak, Creator & Star
Already a Festival Favorite
The series’ recurring long-form sketch, Neighborhood Watch, didn’t arrive quietly. Originally released as a web series and revamped for Our Ladies Show with new footage, sound, and music, it has been sweeping the festival circuit:
- 🏆 Best Webseries — 2026 New Media Film Festival (Los Angeles)
- 🏆 Best Web/TV Series — Paris Film Awards
- 🏆 Best Web Series — Dallas Movie Awards
- 🏅 Additional wins at the London Movie Awards, Florence Film Awards, and Hollywood Gold Awards
- 🎬 Official Selection — 2026 Harvard Divinity School Film Fest
- ⭐ Finalist — Houston Comedy Film Festival
- 📣 Three nominations — 2025 Content Christian Media Conference, including Best Actress in a TV and Web Series nods for both Christin Jezak and Sarah Hernandez
Where and When to Watch
Our Ladies Show premieres Friday, June 13, 2026, streaming on The Roku Channel — the home of premium and free entertainment — in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. All seven episodes deliver the series’ signature blend of sharp sketch comedy and genuine encouragement.

Watch the trailer now on your platform of choice:
For more information, visit www.ourladiesshow.com and follow @ourladiesshow on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

About Christin Jezak
Christin Jezak has worked for over 15 years in the entertainment industry. She created and stars in Our Ladies Show and the award-winning web series Neighborhood Watch. She produced the EWTN TV program For the Sake of the Gospel and the all-women web series Ladies Keepin’ It Real, played Dr. Sam in Miracle at Manchester (starring Dean Cain, Daniel Roebuck, and Eddie McClintock), and voices Agnes in the podcast Confessions of a Catholic Single. She held a lead role in a short film for NTT Data directed by Academy Award–winning cinematographer Janusz Kamiński, has co-starred on Raising Hope, and appeared in Jimmy Kimmel sketches and a Grubhub Super Bowl commercial.

About The Roku Channel
Roku pioneered streaming on TV and is the #1 TV streaming platform in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico by hours streamed (Hypothesis Group, Dec. 2025). The Roku Channel is the home of premium and free entertainment, alongside Roku’s Howdy and Frndly TV services. Roku is headquartered in San Jose, California.
About Encompass Digital Media
Encompass Digital Media is a global managed services company — technology-driven, software-defined, and people-powered. Trusted by world-leading broadcasters, networks, sports rights-holders, and OTT platforms, it processes over 25,000 hours of content daily, serves 850 channels to 84 countries, distributes over 243,000 live events annually, and reaches 400 million radio listeners weekly worldwide. Learn more at www.encompass.tv.
Media & Interview Requests: To interview creator Christin Jezak or the cast, contact Christin at cjezak@p2ptheatre.com.
Entertainment
What Filmmakers Should Actually Steal From Euphoria

Most of the talk about Euphoria asks one question: was it realistic? That’s the wrong question if you make films. The better one is simpler. How did Sam Levinson get an audience to feel addiction from the inside? And what did it cost him to end the show the way he did?
Strip away the noise and Euphoria is a clinic in three choices: point of view, style, and the ending. Here’s what’s worth taking — and what isn’t.

1. Put the Camera Inside the Character
Most shows about drugs watch from across the room. Euphoria doesn’t. When Rue is high, the camera is high too. Walls breathe. Floors tilt. Time skips. You’re not watching her — you’re stuck inside her head.
That’s the lesson: point of view is a decision you make with the camera and the cut, not a mood you add later in color. Levinson builds it into the lens, the blocking, and the edit.
So before you shoot a scene through a character’s eyes, ask one thing on set: whose eyes is this lens standing in for? Then make every cut respect that.
2. Your Style Has to Mean Something
The glitter. The slow push-ins. The impossible club lighting. Euphoria‘s look got copied everywhere. That’s the trap.
The style worked because it carried weight. The beauty wasn’t decoration — it was the lie addiction tells you, the reason the next high looks worth it. The camera made self-destruction gorgeous on purpose.
The copies missed that. A thousand music videos took the look and left the meaning behind, and you can feel how hollow they are. So here’s the test: if your signature style could be swapped onto any other project and still “work,” it’s not a style. It’s a filter. Every choice should have a reason behind it.
3. The Ending Tells the Audience What It All Meant
When Euphoria ended for good in Season 3, Levinson killed Rue — an accidental, fentanyl-laced overdose. He called it “the honest ending,” saying he wanted to tell a true story about addiction and grief in a time when one mistake can be the last one. Reportedly, that wasn’t the original plan; the death of Angus Cloud, who played Fezco, changed the script.
Forget whether you agree with the choice. Study how it works. An ending is the last instruction you give your audience about how to read everything before it.
By ending on consequence instead of recovery, Levinson reframed seven years of beautiful chaos as a story about cost — not a celebration of it.
It’s also the show’s most debatable move, and that’s worth noticing too. A show that spent years making pain look beautiful had to fight to make that pain land as loss. Did it earn the ending, or enjoy the wreckage too long to stick it? Smart filmmakers will disagree — and that argument is exactly what a good ending is supposed to start.

What Not to Take
The neon grief is the most copied part. It’s also the least useful. Take the surface — the colors, the slow-mo, the trauma-as-texture — and you get the costume without the body.
The real craft is underneath. Commit your camera to a real point of view. Make every stylistic choice earn its place. Treat your ending as the point of the whole thing. Do that, and your work won’t look like Euphoria. It’ll do what Euphoria did.
This piece touches on addiction and substance use. If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available through the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
Entertainment
How a 22-Person Film Crew Each Walked Away With $300,000

In the spring of 2020, with Hollywood shut down and most film workers suddenly out of a job, Zendaya made a movie in a single house with a crew of 22. The film was Malcolm & Marie. What happened to that crew afterward is the part worth paying attention to — and it’s quietly become a blueprint indie filmmakers are borrowing five years later.
Instead of paying everyone the standard flat day rate and sending them home, Zendaya structured the production so the crew owned a piece of it. They received “points” — a share of the film’s revenue.
When Malcolm & Marie sold to Netflix for roughly $30 million, those points turned into real money. Because one point typically equals 1%, a single point on that sale was worth around $300,000.
For a crew used to being paid by the day, that’s a life-changing number.
The Math That Makes It Click
The reason points are so powerful is that their value scales with the film, not with your hours on set:
- At $30 million in revenue, 1% equals $300,000
- At $50 million, 1% equals $500,000
- At $100 million, 1% equals $1 million
Now hold that against traditional indie crew pay, which runs roughly $300 to $800 per day. A 20-day shoot totals somewhere between $6,000 and $16,000 — full stop, no upside, no matter how well the film does. The points model flips the entire logic: you stop getting paid for time and start getting paid for success.
This Isn’t New — It’s Just Newly Accessible
Backend deals are how the biggest names in Hollywood get rich. Robert Downey Jr. reportedly earned tens of millions from his Avengers: Endgame backend; Keanu Reeves made a fortune off The Matrix through profit participation. The leverage to demand that kind of deal has always belonged to A-list stars.
What changed with Malcolm & Marie is who got a seat at the table. Zendaya didn’t reserve the points for herself and a couple of producers — she extended them to the crew, the people she described as laying the tracks and doing the heavy lifting. That’s the shift indie filmmakers are now studying: ownership as something you share down the call sheet, not hoard at the top.
Why Indie Filmmakers Should Care
Independent films usually run on budgets between $50,000 and $500,000, where labor can eat up 40% to 60% of total costs. That creates a permanent squeeze: how do you attract genuinely skilled people without torching the budget before you’ve shot a frame?
Equity is the pressure valve. Offering ownership instead of higher upfront pay lets you reduce immediate production costs, attract more experienced collaborators, and — maybe most importantly — build a team that actually wants the film to win.

How to Apply It to Your Own Project
You don’t need a $30 million Netflix sale for this to work. Say your budget is $250,000 and your revenue goal is $500,000, making 1% worth $5,000. Instead of stretching cash thin across every line item, you might offer 1% to a cinematographer, 1% to an editor, and 1–2% to a producer. You preserve cash during production and hand your key people a real reason to overdeliver.
Ownership Changes How People Show Up
A stake rewires behavior. People who own a piece of the outcome stay sharper on set, pitch in on marketing and promotion without being asked, and stay invested long after wrap. That last part matters more than it sounds — a crew that’s financially tied to the film becomes part of its distribution engine, not just its production.
Read the Fine Print
Equity is not a salary, and it’s honest to say so. Malcolm & Marie worked because it sold to Netflix at a high price — that’s the upside scenario, not a guarantee. If a project underperforms, points can be worth little or nothing. So if you use this model, do it cleanly: define revenue participation explicitly in contracts, spell out recoupment structures so everyone knows who gets paid and in what order, and offer partial upfront payment where you can to balance the risk. The whole thing runs on trust, and trust runs on transparency.
The Bigger Picture
What Zendaya pulled off with a 22-person crew in one house pointed to something larger about how creative work gets valued. In an industry where funding is the hardest wall to climb, ownership has become its own currency. You may not control access to millions in financing — but you fully control how value gets shared on your set. And that, more often than not, is the difference between a film that stalls in development and one that actually gets made.
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