Don’t let the fact that “Dutton Ranch” rebel Oreana Jackson is dating a high schooler fool you. Natalie Alyn Lind has confirmed she’s actually older than Carter (Finn Little), which explains why the weed-loving hothead never attends class.

“A huge part of our storyline is that my character is supposed to be years older than Finn’s,” Lind told People. “My character is supposed to be 24, and his character’s supposed to be 19.”

The signs were there from the get-go, but they were difficult to spot. In Episode 2, Oreana collects Carter from school and tempts him away from algebra with a six-pack so they can hang out and shoot guns. Oreana also has a degree in business and agricultural science, indicating that she’s been to college. Despite this, fans still believe Oreana is a teenager.

“I always find it really funny when [fans are] like, ‘She’s supposed to be playing high school.’ I’m like, no, not really, but you’ll see more about that later,” Lind added. “I feel like — hopefully, fingers crossed — Season 2 will be able to dive more into her background and her story to show who she is as a person.”

“Dutton Ranch” Season 2 is officially happening, so there will be more opportunities for the show’s creators explain why Oreana is the way she is. Natalie Alyn Lind believes her character acts youthful because she was robbed of a wholesome childhood — but don’t mistake her rebelliousness for foolishness.

“I think my character is very smart. She allows people to see the side of her that she wants them to see,” Lind told Collider. “That’s all I’m actually going to say. I’m going to quit speaking. I need to make it to Season 2, so I’m going to leave it at that.”

Lind also noted that the relationship between Oreana and Carter signifies him growing into a man on “Dutton Ranch.” Oreana, meanwhile, wants to rage against the machine because she grew up being told how to live her life. Their coupling up has also added a turbulent romance to the acclaimed neo-Western series, and there has yet to be a dull moment between them.

And now, this: John Oliver is headed to Port Charles.

Nearly four months after an on-air plea to be cast on a soap opera, Oliver has indeed landed a guest role on the ABC sudser “General Hospital,” which he announced on Sunday’s episode of “Last Week Tonight.”

Exact details about Oliver’s character are being kept under wraps, but it’s said to be a “significant” guest role. He’ll appear in a three-episode arc that begins Thursday, July 2, and wraps Monday, July 6.

Here’s a full first-look snapshot of Oliver’s stint on the show:

Disney/Christine Bartolucci

Oliver lobbied for his own guest role on “General Hospital” — or any willing soap opera, for that matter — during a March “Last Week Tonight” segment on soap opera cameos, which highlighted the “insane” antics that sports commentator Stephen A. Smith has gotten up to in his recurring “GH” role of Brick, right-hand man to Maurice Benard’s Sonny.

“I will admit here, the reason I’m bringing this up is because I am jealous,” Oliver conceded at the time. “I have a genuine love for soaps. … So, to all the soap operas out there, let me say this: I am officially offering myself to you. Write me a role, and I will be on your set so fast, it will make your head spin.”

Oliver went on to list a handful of conditions for appearing on a soap, including that he must play a fictional character with a “ridiculous” name, rather than appearing as himself. (Sadly, the name of his “General Hospital” character has yet to be revealed.) Plus, he wanted a “juicy” storyline, which could involve “murder, or slapping, or being slapped, or being someone’s long-lost something.”

“When John Oliver publicly threw down the gauntlet and said he wanted to appear on a soap, we didn’t hesitate for a second,” said “General Hospital” EP Frank Valentini. “He was everything you’d hope he’d be: prepared, professional, funny, and genuinely kind to everyone on set. He plays an integral character in the story, and I can’t wait for fans to see who he crosses paths with in Port Charles.”

Added Oliver in a separate statement: “‘General Hospital’ was everything I hoped it would be. It’s a true honor to be a small stain on the history of this illustrious show.”

Revisit Oliver’s full “Soap Opera Cameos” segment below, then drop a comment and tell us: Will you tune in for his guest appearance?

After a crazy night of service that took up the rest of the final season, the staff of “The Bear” finally got a chance to exhale in the series finale — and decide where they’re headed next.

The finale picks up the next morning after that season-long night at the restaurant, with Ebraheim practicing his franchise pitch to Carmy and Natalie telling Richie they’ll actually make payroll. She also passes along an invite he received… to a hospitality seminar in Japan! She encourages him to go — “When’s the last time you were on a plane?” — but he’s hesitant to say yes. Sydney takes inventory and realizes they actually have more food on hand than they had the night before, and Tina confesses that she kind of enjoyed the chaos of last night: “I want to do that again.”

Carmy sits down with Uncle Jimmy on a park bench, and they both say at the same time, “I’m sorry I told you to go f**k yourself.” Jimmy hates that Carmy ran his business into the ground and then left, but he still loves the kid. He also encourages Carmy not to give up on things so easily: “We got a real serious quitting problem in this family.” Jimmy says he’s broke, but he is planning to pursue this franchise idea with Ebraheim — which is the first Carmy’s heard about it. He thinks for a moment, then admits, “That’s really smart.” Plus, he assures Jimmy that The Bear will be fine without him: “This place is going to be OK. She’s the real deal.”

More staffers are leaving, too: Sweeps the sommelier and Rene found jobs at another restaurant. Carmy finds Richie pacing nervously in the walk-in fridge, thinking he’s about to have a panic attack. He tells Carmy about the trip to Japan — and he’s never actually been on a plane before. Carmy does tell him that airports suck, but once you’re in the air, it can be very peaceful. Richie is anxious about leaving the safety of what he knows for something new, but Carmy builds up his confidence by telling him he’s officially “an international businessman” now. That does sound pretty good, doesn’t it?

Then Carmy joins Sydney in the kitchen, telling her he has “an idea” where he’s going from here, but it’s not ready to share yet. She reminds him there’s always an opening for him in her kitchen. After Ebraheim rehearses his pitch a hundred times, he finally gets up the nerve to talk to Carmy — and Carmy immediately says yes, he fully supports the franchise idea. (That was easy!) Plus, we learn that Marcus was the one taking all the spoons (!), Richie’s hand brushes up against Jess’ as they talk about tonight’s reservations (!!), and Natalie tells Sydney she’s not worried about the restaurant’s finances anymore “because we have a captain.” (Aw!)

Natalie also tells Carmy he’s getting all these calls from a guy named Peter Clark, and when Carmy’s phone rings, he finally answers it. It’s Peter Clark, and what he tells Carmy leaves him gasping for breath. He tells Sydney that Peter Clark is Star Man, the reviewer from the Michelin Guide. He wasn’t at the restaurant last night; he came months ago, the night that Richie set up the fake snow display for a family of diners. He raved about the food, the service, the atmosphere, Carmy says. “Did we get a star?” Sydney asks. Carmy shakes his head… before saying, “You got two.” Two stars! Sydney can’t believe it, and she tries to get right back to work in the kitchen — but then she runs to the dining room and gives Carmy a big hug. It’s an incredible moment five seasons in the making. They did it!  

In the aftermath of the Michelin star news, Marcus takes Luca to the airport for his return to Copenhagen, Tina celebrates her new chef de cuisine title with her husband, Natalie smiles as she watches Pete and Sophie, Ebraheim locks down a space for his first franchise, and Sydney has a sweet moment with her dad at a diner counter. Meanwhile, Carmy is brought in for a mysterious job interview after a recommendation from John Mulaney’s Stevie, and it’s weird to see Carmy in a suit and tie as he sits down with the interviewer Sue. (Hi, Bonnie Hunt!) She sees he was a chef, and asks him if it’s all “yelling and nonsense” in the kitchen like she sees on TV. “It can be,” he allows.

Sue asks him why he’s here — yeah, we’re wondering the same thing — and Carmy explains he’s been looking for a creative outlet, and he first found that in restaurants: “I loved the colors of the food.” He used to get his creative juices flowing in the kitchen, but after working in a bunch of restaurants, it got to the point where he just “wanted to get to the end of the day.” But at The Bear, it wasn’t just about surviving; it was about lifting each other up. Last night was an insane service, he says, but “even though it sucked, it was the most fun I ever had.” Sue gently tries to steer him back to the topic, and we find out Carmy is applying to be an intern at an architectural firm. Well, we know he can draw, at least, from those food journals of his.

Speaking of those, Carmy leaves his old journals for Marcus to use, and Richie brings his daughter Eva to the restaurant for a surprise birthday party, where everyone is in attendance, from Richie’s ex-wife Tiff and her new husband Frank to Carmy’s former flame Claire. Sydney gives Richie a travel kit for his Japan trip and tells him to bring her back some weird candy. Carmy pulls out his phone and sends off one more text to his late brother Mikey, telling him: “All good.” And on the plane to Japan, Richie grips the seat nervously… and another hand takes his! Jess is sitting next to him! It’s happening! As the credits roll, we can still hear the characters chatting and laughing together. The show may be over, but life at The Bear goes on.

Alright, “The Bear” fans: Fill out your comment cards below and tell us what you thought of the series finale — and the final season — in our polls, and share your thoughts in the comments.

Imagine an alternate reality where guests arriving at television’s most mysterious tropical paradise weren’t greeted by the suave charm of Ricardo Montalban, but rather by the Shakespearean gravitas of Orson Welles. As it turns out, that reality was almost on the itinerary for “Fantasy Island.”

When the series was first being developed, ABC pressured executive producer Aaron Spelling to cast Welles as Mr. Roarke — the white-suited host who granted the deep, sometimes dangerous desires of the island’s wealthy visitors. Spelling, however, stuck to his first choice, Montalban, despite ABC’s hesitation. Spelling discussed the casting battle in his 1996 memoir, “Aaron Spelling: A Prime-Time Life.”

“ABC gave us an order to do a ‘Fantasy Island’ TV movie in 1977,” Spelling recalled in his book, per MeTV. “We immediately thought of Ricardo Montalban as suave Mr. Roarke, the wishmaster. ABC had another idea. They saw Mr. Roarke as Orson Welles.” Spelling — who once called himself one of Welles’ “greatest fans in the world” – believed Montalban was simply a better fit for the show’s unique tone. “We thought it would be much more interesting to have Ricardo,” Spelling noted in his book. “Welles was great, but he wasn’t Roarke, no more than we would cast Ricardo to play a vampire in a Dracula movie.”

According to a 1999 interview Aaron Spelling gave to the Television Academy, network executives also expressed apprehension over Ricardo Montalban’s heritage, which Spelling countered by leaning into the character’s ambiguity. 

“When we suggested Ricardo Montalban, the first instinct was, ‘Why?’ And I said, ‘Because he’s a brilliant actor,’ and I could see they were afraid to say anything else. I said, ‘If it bothers you that he’s Hispanic, remember a lot of our audience is Hispanic, and I think the accent makes him different, because, as we said in the script, we didn’t know [where] Roarke came from … and the whole accent blended.'”

Spelling ultimately got his way and proved to executives that his instincts were spot on. “Well, he turned out to be one of the greatest quarterbacks on this show we’ve ever had,” the producer concluded. “Fantasy Island” enjoyed a successful seven-season run, with Montalban playing Mr. Roarke 154 times across the series and the two TV movies that launched it. Alongside Tattoo (Hervé Villechaize), he helped create one of television’s most memorable duos. The franchise remained popular enough to inspire a 2021 reboot featuring Roselyn Sanchez as a distant relative of Roarke.

“Obsession” star Cooper Tomlinson was a humble YouTuber when he signed up for the “Yellowstone” spin-off “Dutton Ranch.” His character, Deputy Cecil Post, is minor player in the grand scheme of things, so don’t be surprised if you haven’t noticed him yet.

Cecil debuts in the show’s premiere, appearing in the scene where Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) tends to an injured horse at the side of the road. The deputy is one of the cops tasked with informing the local drivers that they can’t take that route before quipping that it isn’t his job to shoot animals that don’t seem destined to last.

Cecil’s next appearance, in “Dutton Ranch” Episode 5, is more dramatic, though. He’s part of the police raid that culminates with Dwight (Ray McKinnon) getting killed, but Cecil isn’t the one who pulls the trigger.

While Tomlinson’s role in the series is small, he’s delighted to be part of the “Dutton Ranch” family. “The Yellowstone universe is one of my favorites so getting to work with Kelly Reilly and the Dutton Crew was very special,” the actor wrote on Instagram shortly after the spin-off’s debut. But will we see him in Season 2 now that he’s a big horror star?

Cooper Tomlinson joining the “Yellowstone” universe coincided with “Obsession” blowing up. The horror hit has earned over $340 million worldwide on the back of a $1 million production budget, making it one of the most profitable movies of 2026. Tomlinson will reunite with “Obsession” director and longtime collaborator Curry Barker for the film “Anything But Ghosts.” The actor also hopes to reprise the role of Deputy Cecil.

“Yeah, it was a very rewarding experience,” he told The Hollywood Reporter about working on the “Yellowstone” spin-off. “On set, it was 105 degrees in the middle of a Fort Worth summer. Everyone was dying, and I was in full cop gear. But I had one of the best days ever getting to work with Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton. So I hope there’s more down the line with that. We’ll see.”

It remains to be seen if Tomlinson will return to all that Texan mayhem. If he does, will the actor receive more screen time now that he’s a far bigger star? Regardless of what the future holds, the fact he’s expressed an interest in revisiting “Dutton Ranch” shows that the door is open.

Who’s up for another trip to Barry’s Bay?

Prime Video’s romantic drama series “Every Year After,” based on Carley Fortune’s series of Barry’s Bay novels, has been renewed for a second season, the streamer announced Saturday. The pickup comes less than three weeks after Season 1 dropped as a binge release on June 10.

“The response to ‘Every Year After’ has been truly extraordinary, underscoring the universal appeal of Carley Fortune’s storytelling and the deep connection audiences have formed with the world of Barry’s Bay,” Peter Friedlander, head of global television at Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement. “We’re incredibly grateful to Carley, [showrunner] Amy B. Harris, our exceptional cast and creative team, and the passionate fans who have embraced this series around the globe. We’re excited to return to Barry’s Bay and bring audiences another deeply emotional and unforgettable chapter.”

Based on Carley Fortune’s 2022 novel “Every Summer After,” the first season of “Every Year After” follows Percy Fraser (Sadie Soverall), an obituary writer who returns home to Barry’s Bay for the funeral of a longtime family friend. While there, she reconnects with her childhood best friend, Sam Florek (Matt Cornett), and his brother, Charlie (Michael Bradway).

Season 2 will be based on “One Golden Summer,” the second novel in Fortune’s series. Although that book centers on a different protagonist, the show will continue to “explore the fan-favorite stories and characters from the first season,” per the official announcement. Amy B. Harris also will be back as showrunner.

The “Every Year After” renewal came as part of Prime Video’s Obsessed Fest fan event on Saturday, which celebrated the streamer’s slate of young adult programming. A trailer for the upcoming movie adaptation of “The Love Hypothesis” was also released, which you can watch here.

Glad to be getting more of “Every Year After”? Tell us below!

Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan) takes the car ride from hell in “The Rookie” Season 8. Intending to leave the city, she gets into a vehicle expecting to be driven to the airport, only to learn that the driver is an assassin. Creator Alexi Hawley believes the character needed to die, hence the decision to write her out of ABC’s beloved procedural series.

“It felt like it was time. Ultimately, it felt like she’d escaped a lot of things,” Hawley told TVInsider. “And I never like to just tread water or feel like we’re telling the same story over and over. So I think it just felt like it was a natural end.”

Actor Bridget Regan also understands why Monica had to be written out of “The Rookie.” The performer noted that she was happy that Monica survived for as long as she did, despite all of the attempted hits on her life. This was not a shocking TV death, as it was only a matter of time until an assassin got her. Be that as it may, Regan was upset that her villainous character didn’t find redemption prior to her passing, telling TVInsider, “I felt like there was this version of Monica that could have been something else, but she just could never get there.”

Monica Stevens was a complex character toward the end, so her death stirred up mixed emotions in fans of “The Rookie.” While she was on the wrong side of the fence, Monica’s final moment with her ex-boyfriend, Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore), touched some viewers in the feels, as it showed she wasn’t completely consumed by villainy. “I hated the character with passion but her last scene with Wesley kind of broke my heart,” one Redditor wrote.

“Monica was a formidable opponent. She was also a scene stealer, and she was delightfully easy to despise. Bridget made me a new fan,” another viewer added.

Other viewers believe the shady nature of Monica’s death was fitting, as she was so used to scheming and getting away with it, so, really, she got a taste of her own medicine. One commenter wrote on YouTube, “[Her death wasn’t] some dramatic shootout or chase. Just all of her decisions finally catching up with her, leaving her as just another body in an alley.”

Fans can potentially look forward to more villains biting the dust, as “The Rookie” was renewed for a 9th season earlier this year. A spin-off series, “The Rookie: North,” is also in the works.

Adapting beloved video games for television is notoriously difficult to pull off without irritating players in one way or another. Because “Sonic the Hedgehog” has been around for over 30 years, there have been plenty of versions of the speedster on the small screen, as well as the hugely successful movies.

Paramount+ even produced a live-action “Knuckles” TV show starring Idris Elba that bridged the gap between the second and third films in the franchise. But it’s fair to say that it was much different from the various “Sonic the Hedgehog” animated shows that fans have been watching since 1993.

The “Sonic” cartoons are more in line with the handful of TV shows based on Nintendo games rather than A-list-starring movie tie-ins. But with plenty of different adaptations to choose from, these are the best.

“Sonic Underground,” which aired in 1999, is a strange beast because it features story beats similar to the much-loved 1993 “Sonic the Hedgehog” series, but in its own continuity. “Family Matters” star Jaleel White voices Sonic and his two siblings, Manic and Sonia, as they search for their mother, Queen Aleena (Gail Webster), after Doctor Robotnik (Gary Chalk) has taken over their home planet, Mobius.

The trio is given a handful of artifacts that grant them extra powers, and they also turn into musical instruments they can play in their band. It’s not a bad show, but it doesn’t feel fresh. And with 40 episodes in its entire run, it’s not an easy binge watch. If anything, it feels like the writers had a separate idea for an animated sci-fi series revolving around musical instruments and decided to crowbar the blue hedgehog in there just because of the brand recognition and built-in audience.

It was odd at the time it aired on BKN, but any modern audiences revisiting it after the likes of the “Sonic the Hedgehog” movies will be even more baffled by “Sonic Underground.” Thankfully, the voice acting is top notch, as is the cool soundtrack — but it just feels like a tonal misstep for the franchise.

Netflix’s “Sonic Prime” was a breath of fresh air when it first started in 2022. It’s a multiverse story — Sonic (Deven Mack) rolls into the Shatterverse with different worlds, all with alternate versions of his closest friends, but without their own Sonic. It’s a great way of switching up the different zones and locales from the games while also giving the writers the opportunity to explore other characters through a different lens.

Whether it’s pirate Knuckles (Adam Nurada), a robotically enhanced Tails (Ashleigh Ball), or the entire council of alternate Dr. Eggmans (Brian Drummond/Vincent Tong), “Sonic Prime” isn’t short of fresh ideas. It feels a little like a Sonic re-skin of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” but at least it’s fun — and Shadow the Hedgehog’s (Ian Hanlin) dry one-liners are an absolute treat. Granted, the constant switching between alternate characters gets a little repetitive after Season 1, but “Sonic Prime” is a solid entry into the franchise.

Plus, the animation style is great for newcomers who expect to see something synonymous with the games and the movies. With three seasons and 23 episodes, there’s enough there to binge, but it doesn’t outstay its welcome at all.

While some of the shows in the franchise are more lighthearted, “Sonic X” balances the fun with seriousness and some great action sequences that are ripped straight from some of the best games in the franchise. The story sees Sonic (Jason Griffith) and the gang teleported to Earth, where they wind up battling — you guessed it — Dr. Robotnik (Mike Pollock). From there, the show adapts the likes of “Sonic Adventure” and “Sonic Adventure 2.”

TV Tokyo and Jetix’s “Sonic X” brilliantly brings those games to life in the series, complete with some of their craziest moments. The standout storylines include Robotnik’s Moon-shattering plans with the Space Colony ARK, and Shadow the Hedgehog’s (Jason Griffith) origin. Although the anime tweaked the games to fit TV — which made sense — some of its original creations let it down.

Chris Thorndyke (Suzanne Goldish/Michael Sinterniklaas) is the human teenager whom Sonic works with on Earth and becomes part of the team. But his introduction often drags down the action and story, as “Sonic X” often uses him as a way of over-explaining what’s happening in the episode.

Cartoon Network’s “Sonic Boom” is incredibly silly, but that’s its charm! The franchise as a whole is inherently wacky, but the 2014 show dials it up a notch with self-aware comedy and singular episodes that are so easy to watch as bite-size adventures. For example, in Season 1, Dr. Eggman (Mike Pollock) takes Sonic (Roger Craig Smith) to court for injuries he got in a battle, with Amy Rose (Cindy Robinson) defending the hero.

All of this is to say that “Sonic Boom” is refreshing because it doesn’t take itself too seriously and avoids trying to set up grand, overarching storylines like in other “Sonic” shows. But that’s not to say Sega and Cartoon Network weren’t ambitious with the project, because “Sonic Boom” also had its own video game and comic series. So it was great to have all three released around the same time.

Although the “Sonic Boom” character redesigns were hated by some, it was a change from the typical visuals and showed that they weren’t afraid to switch things up.

In 1993, “Sonic the Hedgehog” proved that a cartoon about a silly blue hedgehog could actually tell a mature story while still embracing the wild fun of the franchise. In it, Sonic (Jaleel White) leads an underground resistance against Robotnik (Jim Cummings), who has overthrown his home planet. That bears a striking similarity to “Sonic Underground,” but the 1993 series on ABC was much more straightforward and manages to explore what Sonic’s Freedom Fighters actually struggle with.

There’s an entire episode in Season 1 dedicated to Sonic grappling with his own self-doubt and fear of Sally (Kath Soucie) getting roboticized by Robotnik, and the recurring nightmare completely debilitates him. It’s part of the show’s overarching plot about the villain forcibly transforming innocent creatures into robots for him to control, and it’s surprisingly dark for a cartoon.

It’s a terrifying concept that proves the writers wanted to do more with “Sonic the Hedgehog” than just zany hijinks, and the result is an underrated animated show that deserves more love.