Cinema News: Our 25 most popular film and TV stories of 2025

December 30, 2025 | View in browser

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By Los Angeles Times Staff

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who is mindlessly scrolling on their phones before the futile New Year's resolution to curb the habit begins.

In our annual year-end edition, we expand our usual "ICYMI" feature, highlighting 2025's most-read stories about film and television. It's a hearty mix of celebrity profiles, insightful criticism and deep dives into the most talked-about pop culture that defined the year.

And we couldn't do it without the support of our subscribers. We know there's an endless stream of TikToks, Reels, articles and, ahem, other newsletters competing for your attention in any given minute — not to mention, TV and movies! — so we're incredibly thankful for the time you choose to give this newsletter each week. We hope to continue guiding you through all the exciting film and television that greets us in 2026.

Until then, happy reading and happy watching! See you in the new year!

Take care,

Yvonne Villarreal

(The writer who tries to pull this whole thing together each week, with the help of my tag-team partner Maira Garcia.)

P.S.: Shout out to my amazing colleagues who never make me grovel for contributions, even with their demanding work loads. And to the copy editors who remain the true heroes of this place.

How far will Philomena Cunk go to get a laugh? 'If he breaks my nose, it'll heal': Diane Morgan, the actor who plays know-nothing TV pundit Philomena Cunk, explains how series like 'Cunk on Life' come together. (Jan. 2)

Billy Bob Thornton unpacks 'Landman' finale, details his hopes for Season 2: The actor, who stars as the fixer for a Texas oil company in the hit Taylor Sheridan drama, breaks down the season finale and discusses the prospects for Season 2. (Jan. 12)

Laura Dern's letter to David Lynch: You wove L.A. into our dreams: The Oscar-winning actor reflects on a lifetime of work with the filmmaker, with whom she collaborated on 'Blue Velvet,' 'Wild at Heart' and 'Inland Empire.' (Jan. 22)

In deathbed audio, Paul Reubens recalled pain of being falsely labeled a pedophile: The recording is featured in HBO Documentary Films' 'Pee-wee as Himself,' which premiered Thursday at the Sundance Film Festival. (Jan. 23)

Sundance is moving to one of 3 cities. Here's what we know about their bids: Boulder, Cincinnati and a combined Salt Lake City and Park City are competing to become the new home of the Sundance Film Festival. (Jan. 24)

How Karla Sofía Gascón turned a historic Oscars first into a historic Oscars nightmare: With a series of resurfaced tweets, the lead actress nominee for 'Emilia Pérez' has caused an awards season uproar — and plenty of culture war confusion. (Feb. 4)

Justin Baldoni's tumultuous road to the center of a Hollywood scandal: The actor-director built a career blending his Bahai values and storytelling. Now allegations involving Blake Lively and 'It Ends With Us' threaten his image. (March 5)

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'Severance' stars explain Season 2's harrowing finale and the 'love hexagon': Actors Adam Scott, Britt Lower and Dichen Lachman, director Ben Stiller and series creator Dan Erickson discuss "Cold Harbor," the mind-blowing Season 2 finale. (March 21)

What happened on the shocking 'White Lotus' Season 3 finale: Who died? Did Gaitok shoot? What happened to the lorazepam? As Mike White's HBO anthology wraps up it's third season, we're here to explain it all. (April 7)

Two new mysteries show the tariff-proof resilience of Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie: "Sherlock and Daughter," a paternal twist on the Holmes legend and a new adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Towards Zero" debut on the CW and BritBox, respectively. (April 16)

Natasha Lyonne remains unconventional as a sleuth in 'Poker Face' and in her career: The actor is back as Charlie Cale in 'Poker Face,' Peacock's murder mystery series, and for Season 2, Lyonne is adding director to her list of duties on the show. (May 8)

'Good Night, and Good Luck' CNN live broadcast brings George Clooney's play to the masses: The actor's Broadway play, based on his 2005 film, allowed viewers at home to see the actor's much-hyped turn as Edward R. Murrow through CNN's live television event. (June 7)

'And Just Like That...' seems determined to insult women over 50. And under 50: The reboot of HBO's groundbreaking series 'Sex and the City' has failed to mature the women at the center of the show, or their relationships, much to this viewer's dismay. (July 3)

Up, up and … eh? A rebooted 'Superman' gives the Man of Steel a mind of marshmallow: Director James Gunn launches his DC Extended Universe with a high-energy Superman played by David Corenswet, joined by co-stars Nicholas Hoult and Rachel Brosnahan. (July 8)

Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' is canceled, but he won't go quietly into that goodnight: CBS announced that 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' would end in 2026. (July 18)

How 'The Fantastic Four' post-credits scene brings us one step closer to 'Doomsday': Yes, 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' includes two post-credits scenes. Here's how that big reveal sets up what's coming in Phase 6 of the MCU. (July 24)

'Wizard of Oz' at Las Vegas' Sphere feels more like a ride than a movie (with Disneyland-level pricing): The cherished 1939 fantasy has been expanded by generative AI to fit the giant parameters of the Las Vegas immersive venue. Has too much creative license been taken? (Sept. 3)

After 15 years of 'Downton Abbey,' Hugh Bonneville and Michelle Dockery can't quite say goodbye: The actors reflect on their father-daughter roles in 'Downton Abbey,' the end of an era and honoring Maggie Smith's legacy in 'The Grand Finale.' (Sept. 5)

How an O.C. teen joined Kanye West's inner circle and filmed him unfiltered for six years: Director Nico Ballesteros followed Ye at close range, capturing the artist's rawest highs and lowest lows in the new documentary "In Whose Name?" (Sept. 10)

Shutdown of Corp. for Public Broadcasting, recipient of Governors Award, elicits boos at Emmys: The Corp. for Public Broadcasting, which last month announced it would be shutting down after federal funding cuts, received the 2025 Governors Award at an earlier ceremony. (Sept. 14)

Jenny Han on 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' series finale and why Belly had to go to Paris: The author, producer and showrunner knows fans are restless about how her hit Prime Video series might end, but she says she "loves surprising people." (Sept. 15)

ABC's decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel's show has echoes and contrasts of Roseanne Barr firing: The news that ABC would be pulling 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' indefinitely was reminiscent of the cancellation of Roseanne Barr's eponymous sitcom, which had been rebooted in 2018, but had significant differences. (Sept. 18)

What Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers said about Jimmy Kimmel's suspension: The four late-night hosts weighed in on ABC's decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel's show indefinitely in their monologues and in other segments. (Sept. 18)

Jimmy Kimmel returns to ABC with emotional monologue defending free speech: 'We have to stand up': The host returned Tuesday to his late-night show on ABC, where he addressed his comments on Charlie Kirk's death and thanked those who have supported him in the past week. (Sept. 23)

'South Park' quietly ended Season 27, jumping into Season 28 with new episode roasting Peter Thiel: The adult animated comedy series returns Wednesday to Comedy Central with a new episode that also marks a new season. (Oct. 15)