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The Scotch whisky aisle at the liquor is pretty deep these days. More and more brands are getting shelf space with seemingly endless expressions on offer — 20-year-old this, cask strength that, sherry finished this, double oaked that… It’s all a lot to try and keep track of. Then there’s the price. Scotch is generally just more expensive than American whiskeys (for obvious reasons thanks to the costs of importing booze, tariffs, etc.).

That begs the question, what is the best value in Scotch whisky right now? I’m going to try and answer that today with a blind taste test of very good Scotch whiskies that also don’t cost all that much… relatively speaking.

For this exercise, I grabbed 10 bottles of Scotch whisky that I believe have great value (then my wife was kind enough to shuffle and pour those for me). Importantly, “value” does not mean “cheap.” It means that each of the bottles blindly tasted today has a convergence of high-quality and lower prices. Still, all of the Scotch whiskies on this list are under $100 and they all taste pretty good in their own way.

Our lineup today includes the following bottles:

• Compass Box The Peat Monster Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
• Macbeth Bloody Sergeant Household Series Act One Blair Athol Aged 10 Years
• Elements Of Islay Sherry Cask Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
• Glenmorangie The Quinta Ruban Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 14 Years
• Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie Scottish Barley Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• The Balvenie DoubleWood Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 12 Years
• Kingsbarns Balcomie Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 10 Years
• Arran Single Malt Scotch Whisky 10 Years Old
• Mossburn Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Island Smoke & Spice

So what tastes best among these expressions? I’ll answer that too via a ranking after my blind tasting notes. Because at the end of the day, it’s really all about what tastes best, even when you’re looking for bang for your buck. Let’s dive in!

• The 50 Best Scotch Whiskies Of 2022, Ranked
• The Best Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whiskies Under $100, Ranked
• The Absolute Best Scotch Whisky Between $60-$70, Ranked
• Single Malt Whiskeys From Around The World, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• We Blind Tasted Single Malt Whiskies From All Over The World To Find A Champion

Part 1 — The Value Scotch Whisky Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This is peaty but not ridiculously so, thanks to the subtlety of the Caol Ila in the mix that presents as a soft campfire in the distance with notes of oyster liqueur and pear beneath it all.

Palate: There’s a really rich and sweet apple/pear vibe that cuts through the earthy peat while a vanilla cream brings about a velvet mouthfeel.

Finish: The smoke returns but is tied to the fruit — like a bushel of smoked apples, pears, and apricots next to a touch of ashy smoke — on the finish.

Initial Thoughts:

This is really nice. The peat is certainly there but not overpowering. It’s nicely balanced.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Subtle winter spices and apple hand pies drive the palate toward rum-macerated blackberry, cloves stuck in orange peels, and cinnamon-heavy raisin bread.

Palate: The palate is classically sweet malt dipped in toffee and vanilla sauce with a counterpoint of star anise and clove wrapped in black tea leaves with a whisper of fall briskness.

Finish: The end has a nice honeyed malt vibe with more rich toffee, caramel malts, and mossy bark in a winter apple orchard feel.

Initial Thoughts:

Again, this is a very nice whisky. It’s subtle but delivers a pleasant overall experience.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a subtle beachside campfire peatiness that leads to dried cranberries and raspberries dipped in salted dark chocolate with a hint of orange oils.

Palate: Those orange oils burn on the palate and then get very creamy with a sense of dark chocolate oranges, figs, and prunes with a hint of sticky toffee pudding that’s just starting to burn in the oven.

Finish: The burnt toffee and date vibe drives the spice on the finish toward a soft yet warming end with a hint more fig and dark chocolate.

Initial Thoughts:

This was very nice but a little thin at the end. I wasn’t 100% sold on the “burnt” edges — but it might work better over rocks?

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose draws you in with a sense of burnt orange layered into dark chocolate and then melted over a singed marshmallow with a hint of malted vanilla cookie tying it all together.

Palate: That dark chocolate drives the palate with a hint of waxiness and woody winter spice next to whole black peppercorns, fresh tangerine, and a whisper of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Finish: The dark chocolate, woody spice, bright orange, and sharp spearmint all collide on the finish with a sense of soft malted sweetness and faint old oak staves.

Initial Thoughts:

Well, this is just delicious unpeated malt. It’s basically everything you want from that category — deep and lush with a sweet base that tastes so specific from top to bottom. Again, delicious.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Wildflowers and granola bars draw you in on the nose as a hint of brine and salted caramel linger on the back end with orange oils and softwood.

Palate: That brine becomes a full rush of seaspray as tart apples lead towards a Caro syrup mid-palate sweetness.

Finish: That sweetness fades into a spicy malt as sea salt and sweet oak dominated the finish.

Initial Thoughts:

This was shockingly succinct and just really easy to sip. I liked this a lot too, but more as a “I don’t have to think about this to enjoy it” sort of vibe.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Soft and floral honey mixed with a hint of vanilla extract, sweet red berries, and wine-soaked oak.

Palate: The palate meanders through light touches of marzipan with a hint of cinnamon and fields of plum trees with a whisper of tree bark and leather lurking in the background.

Finish: The finish lets the spicy malt kick in with a dose of hot cinnamon and honey tobacco.

Initial Thoughts:

This was even more dialed than the last pour but very much in the same “don’t have to think about it” category. It’s just tasty.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Sweet caramel malts draw you in the nose with a mincemeat pie and nutty fruit cake aura with a solid toffee sweetness.

Palate: The taste leans into grilled pineapple with plenty of nutmeg and cinnamon that edges toward sharp ginger and maybe some rum raisin.

Finish: That ginger really pops on the spicy end with a rock candy feel as this Nutella lushness takes over at the very end.

Initial Thoughts:

This was pretty good but really all over the place. I like it but it took a little time for me to figure it out.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with this soft sense of pitted orchard fruits next to a thin line of beach campfire smoke far off in the distance with a hint of minerality and bright spiced malts.

Palate: The palate has a hint of an oyster shell that leads to dried pears and apricot with a hint of warmth and spice malt next to dry sweetgrass.

Finish: The end is full of lightly smoked plums with a touch of cardamom and cinnamon next to sea salt and a final whiff of that beach campfire way down the beach somewhere.

Initial Thoughts:

I mean, I can smell that this is a Talisker from, like, across the room. I love this pour. It’s so subtle yet so freaking deep.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This has a bourbon vanilla vibe on the nose with a bunch of cinnamon sticks soaked in apple cider and then cut with orange oils.

Palate: That cinnamon takes a sharp turn toward chili spice on the palate with a soft caramel maltiness and a hint of apple candy.

Finish: The end sort of meanders through apple cider and used cinnamon sticks with a vanilla and caramel malted cookie base.

Initial Thoughts:

This is nice but a little thin overall.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose feels like it’s almost salted with a sense of smoked apples and plums next to vanilla cream cut with fresh lemon zest.

Palate: The citrus turns into lemon meringue pie on the palate as caramel malts sweet toward digestive cookies with a hint of chocolate lurking somewhere deep in the palate.

Finish: The end kind of thins out the lemon pie toward a soft sweet grain roundness and a hint of salted vanilla sauce.

Initial Thoughts:

This was nice enough but not overly memorable outside of the salinity.

Part 2 — The Value Scotch Whisky Ranking

10. Mossburn Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Island Smoke & Spice — Taste 10

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $44

The Whisky:

This blended malt (that means only single malts are in the blend and not single malts and single grain whiskies) is made from a mix of whiskies aged in American oak. Those barrels came from the “Island” region of Scotland which is very wide-reaching. Mossburn vatted those barrels and then re-barreled the whisky into ex-bourbon barrels that were refitted with toasted new European oak heads for a final rest.

Bottom Line:

This was fine. I didn’t really get that much “smoke” on the profile which feels odd. Anyway, I’d easily use this to mix cocktails or highballs.

9. Elements Of Islay Sherry Cask Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky — Taste 3

ABV: 54.5%

Average Price: $87

The Whisky:

This whisky from the Elements of Islay bottlers focuses on sherry casks. Essentially, we’re looking at orphan sherry casks from Islay distilleries that go into a wide-ranging blend that focuses on sherry as the primary flavor profile.

Bottom Line:

This was a perfectly nice sherry-cask finish whisky. It didn’t stand out that much on the panel but there was nothing wrong with it at all. I can see mixing cocktails with this. It feels like a good building block.

8. Arran Single Malt Scotch Whisky 10 Years Old — Taste 9

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $65

The Whisky:

This is Arran’s entry-point bottle. This is classic unpeated malt that’s left in ex-bourbon to age for a decade before vatting, proofing, and bottling as-is.

Bottom Line:

This was nice. If you’re looking for a bourbon-adjacent malt pour, this is a good place to start. Just don’t expect to be wowed.

7. Kingsbarns Balcomie Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Taste 7

ABV: 59.9%

Average Price: $51

The Whisky:

This new blood from the Lowlands of Scotland is a quality single malt. The vat of whisky here is from 100% ex-Oloroso sherry casks. Once vatted, that whisky is bottled completely as-is at cask strength, letting the whisky in the barrel shine on through.

Bottom Line:

This was nice too. It feels like an easy everyday pour-over ice or a crackin’ cocktail base with some serious depth.

6. Macbeth Bloody Sergeant Household Series Act One Blair Athol Aged 10 Years — Taste 2

ABV: 51.8%

Average Price: $100

The Whisky:

This expression from the new Macbeth series celebrates Blair Athol whisky — a true whiskey nerds distillery. The actual whisky is a blend of ex-bourbon and red wine casks that are vatted and then bottled at cask strength.

Bottom Line:

This is getting into the really good stuff. This is a very well-rounded whisky that hits high flavor notes while still feeling approachable. This is going to be nice anyway that you want to enjoy it.

5. Compass Box The Peat Monster Blended Malt Scotch Whisky — Taste 1

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $69

The Whisky:

Compass Box is one of the most interesting blenders/bottlers working today. This expression is the perfect example of the craft of whisky blending, with six masterfully married peaty barrels coming together, focusing on Caol Ila and Laphroaig. A touch of Highland malt is added to bring in hints of dark spice to balance all that Islay peat.

Bottom Line:

This was nicely peated with a great balance. That said, it wasn’t the best peated whisky on the panel. Still, if you’re looking for a peaty that doesn’t blow your senses out on first nose and sip, this is what you’re looking for. It’s subtle and balanced in all the right ways.

4. Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie Scottish Barley Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Taste 5

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $56

The Whisky:

Bruichladdich’s philosophy on whisky making is pretty unique. Each batch highlights local, unpeated Scottish barley that’s fermented and distilled. That juice then goes into some combination of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and ex-wine casks for a varied amount of time. That means each batch is unique. Bruichladdich then provides a code on their bottles so that you can go to their website and find out what makes the bottle in your hand special.

Bottom Line:

This is so dailed that it’s hard not to love. This might be the epitome of “I don’t have to think about this” whiskies on the list. It’s just good and easy to sip. Sometimes that’s enough. This makes a great cocktail too.

3. The Balvenie DoubleWood Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 12 Years — Taste 6

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $64

The Whisky:

This is the whisky that launched the “double aging” trend back in 1982. This unpeated single malt spends 12 years mellowing in ex-bourbon casks before it’s transferred to ex-sherry casks for a final maturation of nine months. Finally, the whisky is vatted in a “tun” where it rests for three to four months before proofing and bottling.

Bottom Line:

Again, this is just good. There are no bells or whistles but it doesn’t need it. This feels like the perfect bottle to have around for everyday pours (neat or on the rocks) or for making your favorite whisky-forward cocktails.

2. Glenmorangie The Quinta Ruban Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 14 Years — Taste 4

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $46

The Whisky:

Glenmorangie’s 14-Year expression spends 10 years resting in used American oak casks. Those barrels are vatted and the whisky is re-barreled into Quinta Ruban port wine casks from Portugal for another four years of mellowing before batching, proofing, and bottling as-is.

Bottom Line:

The only reason this isn’t in first place today is that it felt more Christmas-y and it’s summer. It’s thick and luscious. It’s delicious. I’ll break it out in October.

1. Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 10 Years — Taste 8

ABV: 45.8%

Average Price: $66

The Whisky:

This is one of the most awarded single malts ever. The juice is matured in ex-bourbon casks in Talisker’s warehouse which is literally feet away from the sea. The subtly peated malts take on a real seaside feel as those years tick past, creating a whisky that will not disappoint.

Bottom Line:

This is just so f*cking delicious for what it is. This is a bottle of 10-year-old lightly peated malt from a small island off the coast of Scotland that you can get everywhere without paying dearly for it. That’s kind of a miracle, especially when you consider how damn tasty it is. This also feels like a malt that you can drink year-round. Summer seafood spreads, wintery desserts, backyard cookouts, falling leaves — it works with it all in one way or another.

Part 3 — Final Thoughts on the “Value” Scotch Whisky

Yeah, Talisker 10 is probably one of the best deals that you can get in Scotch whisky right now. I’d also put The Balvenie 12 right there with it if you want to go the unpeated route for a great year-round whisky to have on hand.

I love the Glenmorangie but it really presented as a thick and lush winter pour on this panel. So maybe grab a bottle and save it until the leaves start turning.

As for the rest, there’s some quality and good-value whisky on the list. You can’t go wrong with any of them. So look back at those tasting notes and see if anything jumps out at you and then click those price links to get some.

Part of the reason Victor Wembanyama is such an exciting prospect as he prepares to enter the NBA revolves around his ability to do things that come straight out of a video game. One example came earlier this season when he pulled up from three, missed, and executed a putback dunk on his own miss. It is one of the more wild things someone has done on the basketball court, and during his recent cameo on “The Old Man and the Three,” Wembanyama explained that this helped win an old teammate a bet.

As Wembanyama tells it, during his time with Nanterre 92, a pair of teammates were laughing and looking over at him. He asked what was going on, and he was told that a bet was placed where money was put on the line over whether he could miss a three and then do a putback dunk. This is, of course, an insane thing to bet on, but fast forward to this season and Wembanyama managed to do just that.

“I actually did it this year!” he said. “I didn’t try to do it, it was just natural. So, a couple days after the game, I called one of these teammates and I told him, ‘Yeah, it happened.’ He was like, what? ‘What? You don’t remember? You just won a thousand bucks, this bet with that teammate that I would do that in my career, it happened sooner than expected.”

My question is how this idea could even pop into a person’s head, but credit to that ex-teammate for cooking this up, and credit for Wembanyama for helping them win some cash.

You’ll have to forgive the expression but this missing submersible story may have just jumped the shark (sorry!). After the stepson of one of the missing passengers — a billionaire aircraft broker — decided to go to a Blink-182 concert, all hell kind of broke loose. Cardi B offered her less-than-subtle thoughts on his actions, prompting him to snap back via Twitter, and now, Candace Owens of all people has gotten involved. Yuck.

Owens, who has yet to pass up an opportunity to use her long-running feud with Cardi for publicity, seized the latest, writing on Twitter, “We all know this day would come. Finally, I agree with @iamcardib and everything she said about the submarine stepson from hell.” Meanwhile, Cardi seemed less than impressed with this revelation, responding with a gif of a chewing kangaroo who somehow looks very skeptical.

Cardi had previously live-streamed her reaction to Brian Szasz’s post about going to the Blink-182 concert while his stepfather Hamish Harding was lost at sea (or under it, more accurately), saying, “You’re supposed to be at the house, sad. You’re supposed to be crying for me. You’re supposed to be right next to the phone, waiting to hear any updates about me.” Szasz took umbrage, calling Cardi a “pos trashy celeb” and accused her of “trying to get clout off me and my families suffering.”

Cardi later responded by pointing out that no one would have known who Brian Szasz was without his post, saying, “You was looking for clout all along, nobody knew who you were until you said that was ya stepdad!!! This is why people hate you spoiled brat billionaires yall soo desensitize.” (For what it’s worth, old news reports say Szasz has Asperger Syndrome, which can make people have a hard time relating to others and expressing emotions.)

Of course, the truly sad part of all this is that in all likelihood, the lost submersible — if it hadn’t already imploded — has run out of oxygen by now. Barring some very unlikely circumstances, the five men inside probably won’t be making it back. Meanwhile, Szasz’s Twitter account has been deactivated.

The highest-grossing Mission: Impossible movie is Mission: Impossible – Fallout… for now. The 2018 film grossed $61.2 million during its opening weekend at the box office on the way to a $220.2 million total (and another $571 million internationally). Based on early tracking, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which finally opens next month after multiple delays, is expected to top both figures.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is “tracking for a franchise-best opening in the $90 million range at the domestic box office,” according to the Hollywood Reporter, including a three-day weekend estimate of $65 million (the film opens on a Wednesday to maximize the amount of time it will play on IMAX screens before Oppenheimer takes over).

The latest installment in the famous action franchise is expected to be another win for Cruise after Paramount and Skydance blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, which grossed nearly $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office last year despite ongoing challenges posed the pandemic. Box-office pundits believe moviegoers view the new Mission: Impossible pic as a sort-of spiritual sequel to Maverick even though the two movies aren’t part of the same franchise.

Top Gun: Maverick grossed an absurd $126.7 million during its opening weekend, so Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One won’t beat it. But maybe Cruise driving a motorcycle off a cliff (on his first day of filming!) will be enough to get him the Oscar nomination he deserved for Maverick.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

Bizarrap and Rauw Alejandro are each elite at choosing collaborators.

Bizarrap and Shakira debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 with their “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” at the top of this year (and at the expense of Gerard Piqué). Alejandro released his RR joint project with his fiancée, Rosalía, in the spring to rousing reactions.

It was only a matter of time until Bizarrap and Alejandro chose each other, and they dropped “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 56” on Wednesday, June 21.

“God has never failed me, he has listened to my prayers,” Bizarrap posted to his Instagram Story, translated from Spanish to English. “What a joy it gives me to finally release music together brother.”

The accompanying video generated over 6.8 million views in its first 15 hours. In it, Alejandro is beamed into a blue-lit studio in astronaut attire. With Bizarrap handling the keys, Alejandro steps to the mic. His charisma matches the pulsating, synth-laced beat as he sings about no-strings desire. The video ends with a black-and-white text tease of “RAUW ALEJANDRO X BIZARRAP ‘BABY HELLO’” followed the date of June 23, insinuating that another collaborative single is dropping this Friday.

Watch the “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 56” video above, and catch up on the Latin stars’ posts about it below.

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

20. Primo (Amazon FreeVee)

Primo has three big things going for it. One, it is loosely based on the life of bestselling author Shea Serrano, who is cool and funny. Two, it comes from Michael Schur, creator of Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, who is also cool and funny in addition to being good at making shows. Three, it’s, well, free, as it’s airing on Amazon’s FreeVee channel instead of on Prime. Tough to beat all of that on paper, you know?

Watch it on Amazon Prime

19. American Born Chinese (Disney Plus)

The is a lot going on here. Let’s start at the top: American Born Chinese is a coming-of-age story based on a popular graphic novel about a teenager named Jin who attempts to navigate high school while keeping a big secret about superpowers under wraps. Spider-man vibes abound, with crushes on biology partners and angry demons and magical amulets aplenty, which is by no means a complaint. Nor is the thing where the show reunites a big chunk of the cast from Everything Everywhere All At Once. More shows should have Michelle Yeoh in them. Most of them, really. This is not an unreasonable request.

Watch it on Disney+

18. Flamin’ Hot (Hulu)

Finally, an inventor biopic we actually care about. No offense to the Steve Jobs origin stories and World War dramas about geniuses who saved the world. You keep the Michael Fassbenders and Benedict Cumberbatches of the world employed and for that, we thank you. But it’s about damn time we learn of the genesis of the crunchy, spicy snack that saved America’s tastebuds. Eva Longoria directs this dramedy that follows a Frito-Lay janitor who claimed he created Flaming Hot Cheetos. Sure, it’s a movie about the mouthwatering alchemy of enriched corn meal, cayenne pepper, and red food dye, but it’s also an underdog story that just so happens to align with a capitalist turning point in our country. And yes, it burns … good.

Watch it on Hulu

17. And Just Like That… (Max)

The first season of And Just Like That… did the hard work of defining the Sex And The City crew in a new era (for the city, the main characters, and TV comedy), with Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte navigating grief, big revelations, new friends, complacency, and change in all its forms. And while season 2 promises to continue that evolution, it seems clear that some fun is on the horizon, with the teased return of John Corbett’s Aidan and a brief cameo by Kim Cattrall’s much-missed Samantha. Can this show ever be what it once was with Sam still (mostly) on the sidelines? Absolutely not, but we’re down to see Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis keep trying.

Watch it on Max

16. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX/Hulu)

It’s the 16th season of It’s Always Sunny and if you’re not already endlessly in love with this gang of moronic miscreants and their low-rent misadventures I don’t know that you can be saved. For those who have fallen off a little over the years, though, please allow us to reassure you that the show is as good, chaotic, vile, silly, and subtly smart as ever, trading international hijinks in Ireland during part of last season for a back to basics approach. In just the first two episodes we’ve seen Mac, Charlie, Dee, Dennis, and Frank giving us a cliffs notes understanding of inflation and crypto (as only Always Sunny can), revelations about Charlie and Frank’s cramped apartment, a crazy family road trip, and a whole lot of casual gunplay. And that’s just the first two episodes. We can’t wait to see the rest.

Watch it on Hulu

15. Platonic (Apple TV Plus)

From the outside, you may think that you know where this series is going, but the show promises to be even more chaotic than you expect. Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen play old friends who reunite after people grow apart (as they do), and it soon grows apparent that he shakes up her little world. Fortunately, she does appear to be happily married, and her husband approves of (and, in fact, encourages) this rekindled friendship — at least, until the horse tranquilizers come into play. It happens.

Watch it on Apple TV Plus

14. Reality (MAX)

Reality gives us Euphoria breakout Sydney Sweeney in an entirely different kind of role. She plays real-life military intelligence specialist Reality Winner, the woman who leaked classified intelligence about Russian interference in the 2016 United States election to the press and was questioned by the FBI and sentenced to a prison term under the Espionage Act. The movie focuses on her interrogation, with Sweeney and the agents circling each other like cobras as the… well, as the reality of Reality’s situation sinks in. It’s a heavy watch, but an important one, both to shine a light on a notable situation from real-life and to remind everyone that Sydney Sweeney has some serious acting chops.

Watch it on Max

13. The Crowded Room (Apple TV Plus)

Back in 2015, Leonardo DiCaprio was reportedly set to star in a much earlier (and different) version of this story in which he would have played a defendant who invoked a legal defense that had never been successfully used before. The crimes in question (tied to a real-life case) included a 1970s robbery and more. Apple TV+ has now adapted this story as a fictionalized, inspired-by-real-life series, and Tom Holland now portrays “Danny Sullivan,” who is arrested in connection with a late 1970s shooting. It certainly takes Holland out of the Marvel mindset.

Watch it on Apple TV Plus

12. Based on a True Story (Peacock)

Kaley Cuoco has already proven that audiences and critics underestimated her sheer level of talent, and not only that, but she’s been working her butt off ever since the Big Bang Theory wrapped up. Cuoco has now turned to the true crime-esque realm to portray a woman who’s obsessed with the genre to such a degree that she is excited about a serial killer on the loose. This series arrives from producers of The Boys and Ozark, if that tells you anything about how darkly comedic things will soon get for this show, and it’s not as fun as The Flight Attendant, but it’s fizzy enough to be a hit.

Watch it on Peacock

11. I Think You Should Leave (Netflix)

The internet’s favorite sick and deranged sketch series is back for a third season. Expect to see your various social media feeds flooded with screencaps and GIFs in the coming weeks, most of them featuring creator and star Tim Robinson with a pained expression on his face. Maybe double back and watch the first two seasons again, too. There’s probably something in there you missed or forgot anyway. And hey, it’s never a bad weekend to yell at strangers about how they have no good car ideas. Maybe they get mad, sure. But maybe you’re right. And maybe they look at you and reply “I’m doing the best at this” and you make a friend for life.

Watch it on Netflix

10. Silo (Apple TV Plus)

Dystopian sci-fi has never been done quite like this before. In Apple TV+’s newest drama, a ruined and toxic future that forces humanity to dwell in underground silos hundreds of stories deep isn’t the antagonist of the story, it’s merely the setting. The real problem lies in a murderous cover-up whose unraveling threads reveal a bigger conspiracy when a scrappy mechanic (Rebecca Ferguson) and a disillusioned sheriff (David Oyelowo) start tugging in earnest. What is truth and who decides it are the questions this show is asking but even if the answers don’t come readily, the insane worldbuilding and thrilling action will leave you happy to keep guessing.

Watch it on Apple TV Plus

9. I’m A Virgo (Amazon Prime)

The last time we checked in with Boots Riley, he was taking us on a deeply wild ride with Sorry to Bother You. Well, he’s back, and deeply wild again, this time with a new series about a 13-foot-tall man named Cootie who has a bunch of interesting experiences out in the world, delving into everything from love to friendship to… actually, you should just watch this one to find out. Our words can’t do it justice. Especially not for the thing where Walton Goggins shows up as a character named The Hero. This is a weird one, to be sure but it’s a weird one in the best way possible.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

8. The Full Monty (Hulu)

The Full Monty was a 1997 movie about a group of steelworkers who faced a troubling economic future and chose to address it by becoming strippers. It was a whole thing. People still use “the full Monty” as code for male nudity, which is kind of wild. And now it’s back, 25 years later. Again, kind of. It’s a television series now and it follows the same characters but this time they keep their clothes on, choosing new and somehow weirder ways to alleviate their financial struggles. There’s a lot going on here. Curiosity might be enough to reel you in.

Watch it on Hulu

7. The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC Plus)

All hail the never-ending franchise’s new spinoffs, which begin with Manhattan-bound misadventure to reinforce what a bad idea it is to head into cities with zombies afoot. Fortunately, this is a thrilling throwback, in which Maggie pretty much forces Negan to help her rescue Hershel Rhees, son of Glenn and Maggie, obviously. Hey, Negan owes her one, so let the walker variants roll

Watch it on AMC Plus

6. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount Plus)

What we have here is a spinoff of one show (Star Trek: Discovery) that was itself a prequel to another show (the original Star Trek), now in its second season. We are deep into the lore here. But that’s okay. It’s a fun little ride, good for both diehard fans of the franchise and newbies trying to dip their toes in a little. You could use a little galactic escape sometimes. We all can.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

5. Extraction 2 (Netflix)

Here’s what we know about Extraction 2: It sees Chris Hemsworth returning to action as the left-for-dead mercenary-turned-hero Tyler Rake (still a terrific name) who’s tasked with saving more people in peril. Here’s what we don’t know about Extraction 2: How the hell this movie got made. The stunt list alone should’ve had insurance companies running for the hills. There’s talk that Hemsworth is lit on fire at one point. There are dizzying car chases filmed on a continuous loop. Just 20-minute-long car chases, people! Helicopters are out here landing on moving trains. Who let these men do this?

Watch it on Netflix

4. Secret Invasion (Disney Plus)

Nick Fury is having a not-so-great time with the “one last job” trope as he heads back into MCU hijinks for what might be his “one last fight.” We do live in unusual Hollywood times, and with Captain Marvel, the Skrulls somehow became the good guys, so we’ll see how Talos fares in this standalone series. Not only are Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn onboard, but Emilia Clarke and Olivia Colman also formally enter the MCU with this show, and we will apparently see some Rhodey on this “crossover event series,” too. Only enough, there’s some eye-patch-less Fury in the mix, so I hope we get some more Goose to add even more context.

Watch it on Disney+

3. Black Mirror (Netflix)

Can the bleak freaky award-winning anthology series and buzz machine from a few years ago still scare the piss out of audiences now that the world has been brought closer to some of its popular themes about metaverses, AI everywhere, neural implants, evaporating privacy protections, and the malignancy of loneliness and hollowness of digital interactions? We’re about to find out with five new star-studded episodes that beg for our attention while it’s still ours to control.

Watch it on Netflix

2. The Righteous Gemstones (Max)

The super-rich mega-church proprietors are back and they’re ready to step into a new chapter that sees patriarch Eli Gemstone ceding control to his kids. Shades of Succession? In some surface ways, sure, but Gemstones is its own swirl of chaos and genius, and this new season goes all in on family feuds while adding monster trucks, romantic entanglements, backwoods survivalists doing that thing they do, and an all-new Baby Billy scheme.

Watch it on HBO Max

1. The Bear (FX/Hulu)

The first season of The Bear was often chaotic and intense in the very best of ways. But while season two doesn’t move fully away from that formula, it all feels a little more slow-burn and structured as it seeks to tell a story about what happens when you dare to take a chance and change things up. How discombobulating it is and how the universe reacts. We thought last season was a main course, but it was apparently just an appetizer.

Watch it on Hulu

It was nearly three months into his junior year at the University of Iowa, and four games into his basketball season, when it hit Kris Murray that he was on his own. The Hawkeyes breezed through three blowout wins, but the matchup against Seton Hall was the first road game and started closer than the others. It didn’t stay that way.

With early emphasis on controlling the pace and unhurried shots from way, way out, Murray spearheaded a decisive run to close out the first half of the game, and came away from the 83-67 win with 29 points and 11 rebounds.

Recalling it over the phone a little under a week out from the NBA Draft, Murray’s memory of that night is crisp. He called the game a “coming out party.” Not because the atmosphere was especially electric — though Hawkeyes fans are known to travel loyally and far — but because the role he was stepping into was his own, out of the shadow of his twin brother and current Sacramento Kings player, Keegan Murray.

“That game solidified everything I’d worked for, why I came back, and gave me confidence going into the rest of the season,” Kris says.

It was, for Murray, the introduction he craved when he made the decision to defer from the NBA Draft the year before. That decision, to some, came as an act of support for a sibling, an effort to let Keegan take the full attention of vying teams in the Draft. To others it was a surprise — why not capitalize on the intriguing story of gifted twin brothers, fresh from a Big Ten championship? To Murray, it wasn’t that complicated.

“I wanted to make a name for myself,” he says. “Going back, I had a chance to do that.”

Though basketball had galvanized for both Murray brothers during their time at Florida’s DME Academy prior to college, Murray says he had “kind of a slow start to his basketball career.” Given the certainties of his length and ability, he believed he had the chance of making it to the NBA. Still, some of that skill-set had been bound to what his brother did on the floor. Playmaking, for one, tended toward one regular outlet — “My default was to pass to Keegan, because that’s how we always played,” he says — and his minutes, as a bench player, were limited. Scratching at the surface of that, it’s not hard to place yourself in Murray’s shoes, wondering what the space of an extra year could bring with it. He knew he could get better.

That game in New Jersey gave Murray, and everybody else who was watching, a pretty good idea.

As a starter, Murray’s minutes obviously shot up, and he took to the floor like an explorer. He pushed himself further into the areas of the game he’d done well in as a freshman and sophomore, like his aptitude as a playmaker, while stepping into new territory, like a real comfort with physicality and scoring from everywhere.

“It really picked up steam toward the end,” Murray says of the growth to his game, and the momentum he felt kicking in to his aforementioned slow start.

Murray credits the support every Iowa team gives each other, across all sports, for an atmosphere of community and excitement, one shared in the pride of fans and the city itself. He often, and fondly, refers to himself as an “Iowa kid.” It’s clear that sticking around had a lot to do with how personally meaningful his college years were to him, and that they got to play out so close to home.

“Playing three years at Iowa has probably been the most fun part of my life, so far,” Murray says, when asked why the last year was so meaningful. “Being able to put on that jersey every single day, going through the tunnel — maybe not the COVID year but the last two years. I’ve met a lot of great people along the way, on and off the court in Iowa. I’m just grateful for everything that university gave me.”

In his junior year, Murray started all 29 games in which he appeared, but nothing about his game grew hurried. He was as unruffled crashing the glass for defensive rebounds (he got to the line double what he did the year prior) as he was pulling up fluidly in the middle of a fast break, the action more like a feather coming slowly down to earth than the dagger it was going in. Murray was the only college player this year to average 20+ points, seven-plus rebounds, and one-plus block per game, while also making more than 65 threes.

“I definitely think my versatility helped me a lot,” Murray says placidly of his season. “I was a guy who could post up, score in the mid-post, make the right play, knock down threes. I was just a tough guard at all three levels. That’s why I had success this year, and why some teams had a tough time figuring out what to do with me and how to guard me.”

Part of the reason why teams couldn’t figure him out was the thing he’d gone back to Iowa to shake: he was being compared to Keegan. It’s a comparison that clearly hurt opponents who didn’t bother to note the stark differences between the two on the court, and has continued over into some of Murray’s current pre-Draft scouting reports, which can read as loose, cursory mirror sketches to his twin — no, seriously, Kris shoots with his left hand while Keegan shoots with his right.

“It’s lazy to compare me to Keegan, it’s happened this entire season, ever since I went back to school,” Murray bluntly says. “When you actually sit down and watch us, we’re two completely different players and that doesn’t really get talked about a lot.”

Though the goal in the back of the head for most athletes is to get to a point in their career where they’re beyond comparison, or others are being compared to them, as the Draft’s gotten closer there have been some new comparisons that Murray doesn’t mind as much. Khris Middleton, with his unselfish approach as an all-around solid finisher and defender, is one. Murray’s made the comparison for himself to Middleton before for the aforementioned reasons, their similar body types, and for Middleton’s calming presence on the floor. Asked if it’s refreshing to be compared to someone besides his brother and Murray laughs, “It is, yeah. And that probably means [those] people have actually watched my tape.”

Murray’s as good-natured as he is realistic about knowing the tie between him and Keegan is always going to exist, especially when linking two twin brothers playing in the NBA. He doesn’t read or put much stock in the reports or comparisons they can draw. Where the film finally takes a backseat is with the Combine, and the pre-Draft workouts and interviews, all of which Murray has been fresh off of for the past few months. Meeting in person, at least, gives a chance for front offices to be introduced to Murray as an individual, though he is grateful that he got to see Keegan go through it last year and knew what to focus on as a result.

“It’s a lot more mental than it is physical. You’re taking in a lot of information and getting to know a lot of different people in a short amount of time. To find joy in this process has been the biggest thing,” Murray says. “Being able to enjoy and be yourself throughout the whole process is the biggest thing, and how to get through it and be yourself, and show people yourself.”

For Murray, funny as he is down-to-earth, finding joy in the process can be as simple as taking his dog over to the dog park, where he was just returning from when we spoke, or settling in with his favorite snack and binge-watching a new show. Currently, it’s Game of Thrones — yes, he’s on his first watch, and he’s flying through it due to the number of flights he’s been on over the last few weeks.

“For me, it’s just trying not to make it all about basketball,” he says. “I try to do something at least once a day where it’s not basketball related, and do something I enjoy to take my mind off it. Having a lot of hobbies and getting those breaks has helped me find joy.”

When it is about basketball, Murray is just as assured. A good deal of Draft decisions have already been made by franchises before workouts, and Murray trusts in his talent and what he intentionally used another year to hone. He knows that front offices have been watching him closely — his reads, making the right pass on time and on target, shooting mechanics — and beyond that, the biggest thing in the process has been to be himself and not overthink it.

“It’s a simple game,” Murray says. “It’s just basketball.”

It’s hard, and probably too early, to talk about wieldy words like legacy, given that his dad and brother put their individual stamps on the Iowa program as he did, and now both brothers will move beyond college hoops and into the NBA. Murray is mostly adamant that when it comes time to reflect, hopefully years from now, he will, but in the meantime he hopes he’s been a role model for other Iowa kids to chase their dreams. His own are fixed on the NBA and true to character, revolve around continuing to play the game he loves, getting to see more of the world while doing it, and meeting and creating relationships with more people as he goes.

The relationships closest to him will always be his family, and Murray opted out of attending the Draft in New York City this week to instead watch it at home, in Cedar Rapids, with them. He went last year for Keegan and, funny enough, it was his face that flashed across the screen when the Kings made their pick.

He laughs when reminded the NBA already has his picture on file, “Oh I know,” he chuckles, “they got it right this year.”

Even if it was a mix-up, that he’s already been introduced feels right, because you’re going to love getting to know Kris Murray.

(Spoilers for Season 2 of The Bear will obviously be found below.)

The Bear is back, baby. The FX show is currently streaming its full second season on Hulu because, well, FX and Hulu must realize that this is one of those shows where binging only aids the momentum of the story.

The second season of the newest Jeremy Allen White-starring Chicago-set series retains all the heat of the show’s debut and also adds plenty of extra ingredients. As well, people are not only still lusting over Carmy, but Will Poulter’s tattooed chef is also receiving a lot of attention already. The season only just debuted, and people are already lauding Jamie Lee Curtis’ all-out presence in Episode 6. Soon enough, people will have absorbed the entire round of addictive chaos.

So if you have already binged the heck out of this puppy and are already wondering when we’ll see a third round, you’re not alone. The season finale would lead one to believe that there is still much to be discovered, along with Carmy hopefully getting out of that fridge very soon. God only knows if he’ll try to patch things up with Claire or simply realize that he was meant to focus on his profession. I tend to agree with the latter, but we’ll see what the writers have in store for them.

Will we see a Season 3? FX has not confirmed as much as of yet, but the story was clearly meant to continue, and the streaming numbers will likely be large enough that we’ll see another greenlighting soon. When that happens, I also imagine that we won’t have to wait a terribly long time, relative to other TV productions. Season 2 arrived almost precisely one year after the first season landed. FX knows when they have a hit on their hands, so hang tight for further developments.

The Bear is currently streaming two seasons on Hulu.

Kelly Clarkson’s new album Chemistry arrives tomorrow (June 23). The singer will be doing a Las Vegas residency in celebration of the release of the album.

She was also interviewed by Apple Music 1’s Zane Low to discuss all that’s going on. She ended up praising Mariah Carey, saying, “People don’t give her enough credit. People give her credit as, like, a singer. I don’t think people give her credit as a writer. I don’t think people realize. She wrote all that sh*t.”

She continued, “Financially, she’s rocking it because of what she’s done. I think people think of her as a songbird and they don’t think of her as the writer that she is. We talk about Carole King, we talk about James Taylor — those are all amazing people, yes, but I’m just saying.”

Earlier this year, the staff of her show The Kelly Clarkson Show alleged toxicity behind the scenes, with most accusations being directed at the executive producer Alex Duda. Clarkson addressed the situation with a statement and by implementing leadership training.

Chemistry is out 6/23 via Atlantic. Find more information here.

Kelly Clarkson is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Samuel L. Jackson has been with the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the very beginning thanks to his pivotal end-credits scene in Iron Man that officially paved the way for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, The Avengers. Thanks to his role as Nick Fury, Jackson had a hand in forming the team that quickly became a billion dollar franchise.

However, Jackson recently revealed that the infamous Marvel secrecy wasn’t exactly the well-oiled machine it is now. Before the first Avengers movie started filming, the actor’s script was stolen, which left the studio flailing to get it back. According to Jackson, Marvel even went so far as to mount a sting operation.

Via Entertainment Weekly:

“I remember when we got ready to do Avengers, someone printed out a copy of my Avengers script that had my watermark on it, and put it online for sale. I was shooting in Canada and Marvel came to Canada. It had been printed in the production office… They found out who it was, dude quit, left the country. They set up a fake buy for the script, dude didn’t show up. It was crazy.”

Obviously, Marvel has significantly tightened its security operations in the time since the 2012 film. According to Jackson, the studio had no qualms shooting down a drone that was flying over the Secret Invasion set, and Marvel newcomer Emilia Clarke recalled being “terrified” by her first meeting with the studio’s secrecy team.

“I was like, ‘I think a man’s going to come and kill me if I say anything,” Clarke joked to EW.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)