The 1990s were a boom time for television, especially for thrillers. Networks were willing to take risks and try out new ideas, leading to a flood of shows. While a few became hits, many promising thrillers were quickly canceled, given unfavorable air times, or dropped by the networks that created them. These are the shows you might vaguely recall – critically praised at the time, but largely forgotten now.
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Sam was crucial to Frodo’s journey to destroy the One Ring, even helping carry him up the difficult slopes of Mount Doom, as depicted in The Return of the King. While the movie shows Frodo and Sam starting as close friends, their relationship in the original novel was more nuanced. Tolkien’s own life experiences shaped the subtly different bond between the two characters.
As a huge movie fan, I remember hearing about Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 way back in 2013! Honestly, with everything that’s changed in the movie world since then, I started to wonder if we’d ever actually see those sequels. But then Avatar: The Way of Water came out and made a whopping $2.3 billion – that definitely renewed my hope that James Cameron will finish the story he started.
Dark fantasy stories are usually more realistic and concentrate on how events affect individual characters, rather than focusing on saving the world. This unique quality also makes them hard to define and market, as they often blend different genres together. This blending can sometimes lead readers to have incorrect assumptions about the books. Here are a few lesser-known dark fantasy novels worth discovering.
A major event in the first season of X-Men ’97 was the threat of an asteroid hitting Earth. The X-Men bravely went into space to try and stop it, but the asteroid exploded, and they appeared to be destroyed. However, the X-Men weren’t actually killed—they were instead flung throughout different time periods. Getting them all back to the 1990s will be a key focus of the show’s second season.
Norman Osborn, also known as the Green Goblin, won’t be in the new Spider-Man: Brand New Day movie, and neither will his company, Oscorp. He’s a famous enemy of both Spider-Man and Peter Parker, and has appeared in the Spider-Man films starring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.
Making the Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and other Defenders shows officially part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe created some tricky continuity issues. Since all those series take place in New York City – a location often featured in MCU movies and shows – it’s hard to imagine the Defenders’ activities wouldn’t have crossed paths with the Avengers. Marvel has largely avoided addressing these inconsistencies by simply not mentioning them.
The Boys has become known for consistently delivering exciting seasons, and its spin-off, Gen V, has also been a hit with critics – currently holding a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s why many fans were disappointed when the fourth season of The Boys seemed to lose momentum halfway through.
Many classic sci-fi shows, while fondly remembered, haven’t aged well and can be difficult for modern viewers to enjoy. What was once groundbreaking now often looks dated, with effects and stories that feel awkward or unintentionally humorous. Despite their historical significance, these series can be nearly unwatchable today.
Jean-Claude Van Damme is known for many action films, but he’s particularly remembered for Bloodsport, a classic from the 1980s. While critics don’t consider it one of the greatest action movies, Bloodsport was a big success when it came out and led to several sequels.