Category: 5. Entertainment

Veteran filmmaker Terry Gilliam is headed to the Umbria Film Festival in Italy, where a screening next weekend of his iconic 1985 dystopian black comedy Brazil will celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary. Nominated for two Oscars and winning a pair of BAFTAs, the movie centers on Jonathan Pryce’s Sam Lowry, who works in the sprawling archives of a megalopolis ruled by faceless bureaucracy and an all-seeing Information Department. When a band of terrorists begins sowing chaos, Sam escapes the gray monotony of his desk job through vivid, dreamlike visions — until reality and fantasy collide with explosive consequences.

Gilliam’s own career has been filled with the fantastical, and often courted controversy. He famously clashed with Universal’s then-Chairman, Sid Sheinberg, over the U.S. release of Brazil, which has gone on to be considered a masterpiece of science fiction.

Earlier, during his days with Monty Python, Gilliam co-wrote biblical black comedy The Life of Brian, whose themes of religious satire drew accusations of blasphemy and protests.

More recently, Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote went through a lengthy and troubled production before it finally premiered at Cannes in 2018.

In the discussion below, Gilliam, who has not directed a feature since Don Quixote, talks about not wanting “any more fights.” He says he’s lined up such talent as Johnny Depp, Adam Driver, Jeff Bridges, Jason Momoa and Tom Waits for his next project, Carnival at the End of Days, but that financing is proving a challenge. 

He tells us, “Filmmaking is, I think, different now, and I think the producers, the financiers, the studios, are very timid these days.”

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

DEADLINE: There are a lot of major films having big anniversaries this year. When you look back now, how does it feel to realize it’s been 40 years since Brazil?

TERRY GILLIAM: Well, that’s the thing that’s always interesting. I mean, it doesn’t feel that long ago for me because it was such an intense period, not the making of the film, the fighting to get the film released as we made it — that was very intense and interesting. I kind of look back at that time and think, “Wow, it was almost good fun to have that fight with Universal.” I was just so determined that they were not going to change the movie. As a result of it, I was for a while, inundated by other filmmakers who were thinking that I had changed the rules. There was a little opening for a few weeks, and then it closed again. And it’s either you have to decide whether you want a career or you want to make your movie the way you want to make it. Simple.

DEADLINE: It feels as though it has held up well across 40 years.

GILLIAM: That’s the thing I like about the success of the film, the fact it’s lasted. It doesn’t feel dated. People keep coming up to me say, “How did you understand the world was going to be like it is then?” And I say, “Well, you just had to keep your eyes open.” Basically, most people don’t think ahead. They seem to be just dealing with the daily noise. But it seemed to me, it was about then as far as I was concerned. And then is the same as now, just the players changed basically. … A few years ago when Dick Cheney and George W were running the show in America, I was in the States promoting something and I said that I was considering taking the two of them to court for the illegal and unauthorized remake of Brazil. Homeland Security is out with us now, and it’s very much like the Ministry of Information.

DEADLINE: And even today it feels relevant.

GILLIAM: You always need an enemy. And whether there’s a real one, you fabricate him. I’m almost finding it enjoyable to listen to Trump and Musk go at each other like two children in the playground. It’s the world’s richest man and the world’s most powerful man behaving like that. That’s kind of fascinating and entertaining, and I think the idea of pushing all those people out of California, in all of America, that’s the workforce folks, it isn’t going to give more jobs to Americans. We need immigrants. The same thing happened when Britain left Europe. 

DEADLINE: What’s your state of mind today in that regard as you work to get another project, Carnival at the End of Days off the ground?

GILLIAM: I’m getting weary as I get old. I really don’t want any more fights. Filmmaking is, I think, different now, and I think the producers, the financiers, the studios, are very timid these days. 

That’s one of the problems. That’s what’s depressing, the fact that to have ideas, strong opinions, and things that try to get people thinking, or at least discussing or even being outraged about what’s happening. It just feels like it’s not a very interesting time. I watch movies now, and I see them very technically skilled films, but not doing anything to make my view of the world different. They’re not shocking me. They’re not making me think. And I find that’s what’s so depressing, it makes me feel old.

I started writing the script in 2020, Carnival at the End of Days, and then I teamed up with a young dramatist in his early 30s, Christopher Brett Bailey, because I thought I’m an old fart, and I want to stay in touch with the audience, a younger audience And so we wrote this script, and it’s very, very funny. What I did cleverly is I sent the script directly to actors that I knew. I didn’t go through agents, because agents are very cautious, concerned people, and I had been warned anyway by a guy very much in Hollywood who did read the script and said: “Don’t let anybody else read this in Hollywood. You’ll never work again, mate.” And so I assembled this incredible group of actors, so I thought, “Wow, who can say no to that?” And now we’ve been pissing around for almost another year.

DEADLINE: Is there a way to maneuver to get your stories across?

GILLIAM: As an independent, they say you’ve got to keep your budget at around $10 million or below $10 million, it seems to me, if you’re going to go anywhere, and my ideas tend to need more. Quixote was $20 million, and I finally got it made. But not because of the system, because of a fairy godmother who came up with the last bit of money. I don’t know how to make films as cheaply anymore because my ideas have become invariably bigger. I’m kind of caught in this trap between independent film budgets and studio budgets. That’s what is my mistake in life.

On this particular project, I decided to get the cast first and then find the money. So I have this wondrous cast — Johnny Depp, Adam Driver, Jeff Bridges, Jason Momoa, Tom Waits, Asa Butterfield, Emma Laird — who are all willing to work for less. That’s not the problem; it’s still getting the money needed. In the independent world, you either have solid independent producers who will work below $10 million or the ones who are more adventurous, more crazy, more socially demanding … who will at least try to make more expensive fare, but after a couple years, I’m getting ready to go back and talk to studios again.

DEADLINE: In terms of finance and how things have changed, what about a streamer? Would you think about seeking out that avenue? Or are you strictly in the big-screen theatrical camp?

GILLIAM: There’s many days I would be happy to work for Netflix or anything because, having not made a film now in almost 10 years, it’s time to go back to work. It doesn’t matter. Except, last night I saw F1. I saw it in Imax and it’s really good, especially on Imax. On a big screen with big sound, that’s what the film is about.

If you sit and watch it on your iPhone or at home on your little computer, it’s not the same experience. So that’s what I like about big screens. That’s why I keep the films that way because it’s also a little bit more of a religious experience. You’re paying money, you’re going into this cathedral of darkness, where this screen is out there, and you start from a position of respect for cinema. But I find almost everything I’m watching these days is being streamed. I’ve got a 52-inch screen at home that’s pretty good, but it’s without an audience, without that sense of a communal experience.

When I’m on the tube here in London, and I see somebody watching Star Wars on their iPhone, I want to take them out and shoot them. The whole point is the film, the presentation is gigantic, and we the viewers are small in comparison. It’s not the other way around. It’s my big head and my little iPhone. This is the wrong relationship.

DEADLINE: So what do you see as the future for Carnival at the End of Days?

GILLIAM: We may be getting closer to the time when this film is more allowed likely to breathe. Hollywood, you know, in the last couple years has been a very nervous world. You were not allowed to offend anyone, and all the executives were living in fear so I started looking elsewhere. 

It’s a simple tale of God deciding to destroy humanity, wipe them out for ruining his beautiful garden, a comedy! Where and when we will start shooting has not been easy is all I can say. When you have to deal with the apocalypse and things like that it gets more costly. The apocalypse is always going to be expensive. And the other problem is that the script, in some ways, is out of date because it was a satire of the world two years ago, and Donald Trump has come along, and he is the carnival. He’s turned the world upside down — everything. We may have to rework some of the story because parts of it was very specific about the wonderful world of woke before The Donald took over again. That very narrow way of thinking of life. We’ll see where it goes. At the moment, I may be out of a job for another 10 years.

DEADLINE: You renounced American citizenship a long time ago; right about now I’m guessing you feel good about that decision.

GILLIAM: Yes, I haven’t been back to [live in] America since whenever it was, and I don’t intend to. I think America is in a very difficult position now because Trump and company are quite extraordinary. On the other hand, he may actually succeed where other people didn’t, in a strange way. It’s like Richard Nixon, you know, brought about the rapprochement with China. 

DEADLINE: When you look back at some of the films that you’ve done, anything from Brazil to 12 Monkeys to the earlier movies, do you reflect on them with fondness, or do you have a critical eye? Do you discover new things about them, or maybe about who you are now versus who you were then?

GILLIAM: Well, I’m not the guy that made those films. That guy was worn out some years ago, or, I think he died. I’m not sure what the accident was, but he doesn’t live in this body anymore, is all I can say. And I’ll tell you, I don’t watch my films after I’ve finally finished them, and maybe it was two years now, I supervised the 4k version of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and I hadn’t watched it in such a long time, because the whole experience had been so nightmarish and painful. But I watched it, and I just came out like I’d never seen the film before. I said, “This is a f*cking great movie. This is so good. I wish I could make something like that.”

I want to be able to be like the guy that sees one of my films for the first time. And that was an instance with Munchausen because it was just absolutely wonderful as far as I was concerned.

DEADLINE: If you haven’t sort of revisited them, do they still live within you? I mean, do you still feel like the person you know who can speak about them with the most authority?

GILLIAM: No, I can only remember what I was like during the making of them. I know what the films are, but it’s the guy who watches the finished product and that’s it. So I’d basically go to film festivals just to hear people tell me how much they love various films I’ve done, and that just makes me feel good, and that’s all I really want to hear, that the fact that the films made a difference to people, made them laugh more, made them think more, had an impact on them. That’s makes me happy. 

Nicole Daedone, who’s in jail awaiting her sentencing for crimes related to her “orgasmic meditation” business, condemned what she believes is a double standard reflected in the outcome of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ case.

“Diddy basically gets off while Rachel and I get convicted for what could be twenty years,” Daedone said in a statement given exclusively to NBC News, referring to former company executive and co-defendant Rachel Cherwitz. “That should tell you everything you need to know about how we (society) view women’s sexuality.”

Last month, a federal jury in Brooklyn found Daedone and Cherwitz guilty of forced labor conspiracy. Federal prosecutors in New York alleged in their indictment that they targeted victims of trauma to become members of their company and manipulated them into performing sex acts and going into debt, among other things. The government said the two women “coerced their victims to sexually service OneTaste’s current and prospective investors, clients and employees.” Daedone and Cherwitz denied the claims.

They are currently in jail awaiting their sentencing, which is scheduled for September. They face up to 20 years in prison.

“The case operated at an emotional level, not a legal or rational one. It made perfect sense to me: a self-possessed sexual woman is presumed guilty; in the current culture she can never be proven innocent,” Daedone said.

Prosecutors declined to comment on Daedone’s statement.

Daedone founded women’s wellness company OneTaste in 2004 and grew it into a $12 million business with thousands of followers, winning celebrity fans such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Khloe Kardashian. But an explosive 2018 Bloomberg article and a subsequent 2022 Netflix documentary “Orgasm Inc.” featured former employees who said they were subjected to a toxic environment. Daedone and Cherwitz, who had been head of sales for the company, were indicted in 2023.

Daedone said her conviction is unjust in comparison to hip hop mogul Combs’ acquittal last week on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Combs was convicted by a Manhattan federal jury of two lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. His attorneys called the verdict “a victory” after prosecutors for seven weeks painted him as the leader of a criminal enterprise who sex trafficked two of his former girlfriends.

The prostitution crimes carry maximum sentences of up to 10 years each, but experts don’t expect him to receive that much.

Maurene Comey, who led the team of prosecutors in Combs’ trial, repeatedly played the security footage of Combs brutally beating Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. Prosecutors told jurors that Combs used violence, drugs and blackmail to force Ventura and another girlfriend known as “Jane,” to have sex with male escorts in drug fueled encounters he dubbed “freak offs.”

NBC News has reached out to Combs’ team for comment.

[This story contains spoilers from the fourth episode of Countdown, “Bite ‘Em Down.”]

When Countdown returned after its three-episode premiere week, the task force made up of different law enforcement agencies suffered its first casualty with the shooting death of Department of Homeland Security Officer Damon Drew (Jonathan Togo).

As the group closed down on the sleeper cell terrorist and bomb maker Boris Volchek (Bogdan Yasinski) in the third episode of the new Prime Video series, LAPD Detective Mark Meachum (played by star Jensen Ackles) was led to the hideout where his uncle, Mikhail (Daniel Chernish), was harboring Volchek. Meachum called in reinforcements while snooping around the property and was caught by Volchek, who ordered Mikhail to take Meachum out to the back and shoot him. The rest of the unit arrived just in time, but a shootout occurred at the end of the hour and Damon was hit. Viewers found out in the beginning of the July 2 fourth episode that Damon died in the ambulance, with Meachum on board.

The rest of the episode involved the task force dealing with their grief while searching for Mikhail (he escaped, but his nephew was killed in the shootout). Once Mikhail’s wife was captured by the task force, however, they coerced her into helping them lure in her husband. It worked, and they then forced him to help them find Volchek, with the threat of his closest loved ones being put in danger. Mikhail agreed, but Volchek was two steps ahead and eluded the unit. The episode ended with Volchek sitting in a restaurant while observing various members of the task force from afar, and sending someone else to the rendezvous spot at the airport to meet Mikhail.

The Hollywood Reporter recently caught up with Countdown creator Derek Haas and star Jessica Camacho, who plays tough-as-nails DEA Agent Amber Oliveras, to talk about how the team must now rethink their plans, and how Camacho and Ackles found their chemistry.

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Derek, how did you come up the concept or idea of Countdown?

DEREK HAAS I was talking to Amazon; I worked with Vernon Sanders before he worked there. I was like, “You know what movies I loved growing up? Eighties action movies — Die Hard, Romancing the Stone, Lethal Weapon …”  I loved the vibe of those movies, and I felt like there had been a dearth of those kinds of television shows, because almost every show in the crime genre is a little bit dark and cynical these days. I wanted to get back to that more like loose-cannon, rebel show.

I heard about task forces from a Chicago intelligence cop, and I was like, “Oh, what’s the task force?” I started reading books about task forces and realized it’s like an all-star team from various agencies, all brought together on a specific investigation to stop what could affect millions of people. I am down for that. So, take the vibe of an ‘80s show, what I learned about task forces, hire the most talented cast and go make a show. That was the inspiration.

And Jessica, how did you find your way onto to this show with one of the leading roles?

JESSICA CAMACHO I was doing the actors’ circuit of auditions, I was just getting scripts and putting them on tape, sending the self-tape out into the ether and trying to forget about it. I was in that cycle, and here comes Countdown into my inbox. I was perusing it, and I was shook by the first scene in which we meet [my character] Amber Oliveras — are you kidding me! That is a dream of a scene that was so visually stunning, I could already see it in my head. It says so much about the character, about who she is and how capable she is, the dangerous world that she inhabits on a daily basis, and how she executes and manages herself no matter the situation or circumstances. It was so compelling. I was in, all I had to do was book it!

Did you do your own stunts for that adrenalized opening scene? [Note: In Camacho’s first scene, she’s hanging from the rafters of a basement that appears to be somewhere in Chinatown, L.A. She’s clearly been tortured, and she escapes with the help of a nearby water pale while her captors sleep upstairs.]

HAAS Yeah, that was her. She was awesome! And it was a long day.

CAMACHO (Laughs.) That was me, strung up! We did not phone that in! I used those toes. I am (going) to use the tools available. But yeah, I put it on tape and I hoped for the best. And they liked it.

I was going to do a chemistry read with Jensen [Ackles], and that is what solidified it, certainly for me. The minute Jensen opened his mouth, it was a lock. He was just so funny and easy and ridiculous and silly, the dad jokes — I’m a dad jokes appreciator. We just had a natural rapport that came so organically. I guess everybody felt the same way.

You and Jensen have really good comedic timing together.

CAMACHO They wanted us to have a lot of fun, that was a priority. And so Jensen took that to heart. At every opportunity that he could find, he would be really playful and to open and try things; throw different things at it and find those poppy little chemistry moments. There are so many of those.

HAAS I was hoping everyone would see that the chemistry that I saw on the very first day when those two were together. We all had lunch, and then we all had dinner. And then you’re shooting a week after, everybody’s hanging out for the first time as an ensemble. I was like, “I hope this chemistry I’m watching translates,” and that it just turns right over to set. That’s the dream when you’re doing a show. So then to not only watch it every single day, but I get to watch six people who didn’t really know each other hang out off set and then see that chemistry translate onto the show? That was awesome.

So the actor’s personalities in some ways started to mesh easily with the characters?

HAAS I remember Jessica called me and she’s like, “Hey Derek, I read four books about the Drug Enforcement Agency, would you put me in contact with someone that I could …” I was like, “Oh yeah, this is the character! Now I know who she is even more.” Then you start to develop [the show] and, if you are a smart writer, you start to infuse the character with the actors and actresses that you get to work with.

***

The first four episodes of Countdown are now streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes releasing Wednesdays.

SUMMER OF SOUND: Selfridges is launching a series of music-themed events and merch across its locations in London, Manchester and Birmingham this July and August with collaborators including Bravado, Young Space, Manchester International Festival, Are We On Air?, Elevator Music, Pirate Studio, Not/Applicable, Josh Baker and Nadine Noor.

In London, the windows of its Oxford Street flagship are set up as deconstructed gigs capturing the vibe of live music in the forms of a stage set and lights, a tour bus and a dance floor.

The corner window space by Oxford and Orchard Streets will host weekly live performances, programmed by Studio Inside Out. 

From July 14, a record shop will open in the Wonder Room on the ground floor, featuring vinyl favorites, both old and new, curated by Rough Trade, the cult London-based independent record label and retailer founded in 1976.

Judd Crane, executive director of buying and brand at Selfridges, said the Summer of Sound initiative is billed as “a celebration of the culture of music fandom, the influence of music merch and the unmistakeable sound of our cities.”

“Selfridges stores become places for fans to come together for live performances, workshops and talks, and the best merch. Building on a legacy of music-led collaboration, Selfridges will share its point of view at the intersection of fashion, retail, and pop culture,” he added.

In Birmingham, home of Heavy Metal, a special experience titled “Back to the Beginning” will be dedicated to Black Sabbath fans. The store’s windows feature visual creations by local artist Mr. Murals paying tribute to the band’s legacy and visual identity.

Selfridges will continue its partnership with the Manchester International Festival with its Exchange Square store, with three days of performance from Friday to Sunday. Additionally, an Epiphone Riviera donated and signed by Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis went on public display from Monday in store.

Merchandise and memorabilia exclusive to Selfridges from Oasis, Prince, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Rolling Stones, Post Malone, Lola Young and Gracie Abrams will go on sale in the period as well.
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Widely regarded as one of the biggest DJs on the planet, Calvin Harris pulls fans from every corner of the globe. No stranger to sellouts, he has played to packed crowds at Playa d’en Bossa’s open-air super club, Ushuaïa Ibiza, since summer 2019.

But this year marks a bold new chapter: for the first time, Harris is taking on a double residency at the iconic venue, adding Tuesdays to his already dominant Friday slot. It’s an ambitious move. No other DJ has attempted to fill Ushuaïa twice a week. The question on our mind: will he be able to pull it off?

We joined the masses to find out. Catching some of that infamous Ushuaïa action where sunset euphoria meets stadium-scale production, and commercial dance music reigns supreme. Accompanying Harris for his grand opener was Australian up-and-comer Tyson O’Brien, followed by Steve Angello, who brought a dose of unmistakable Swedish House Mafia magic to the fray.

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Arriving at Ushuaïa around 20:30, Steve Angello was well in control, laying down a sunset vibes set full of nostalgia. He tapped into the golden era of 2010s EDM with a very energetic crowd dancing to the beat, with hands in the air all around.

Naturally, Angelo dropped a few classics from Swedish House Mafia’s catalogue, including the decade-defining Don’t You Worry Child, alongside crowd favourites like Save the World and Gala’s classic sing-along, Freed from Desire, setting the tone perfectly for the night ahead. Angelo’s set was proof that some tunes just don’t age. It was a full-tilt throwback, and by 21:15, the stage was well and truly warmed up for the main act, Calvin Harris.

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We snuck around to the back of the venue to witness his walk on stage – a small but eager bunch of fans lay in wait, phones in the air and eyes locked forward. Calvin emerged, striding out with calm confidence and laser focus. A few moments later, the main crowd erupted as he made his appearance on stage.

It’s challenging to pin down highlights from the set, especially when you’re working with a catalogue as stacked with bangers as Calvin Harris’s Sweet Nothing lit up the venue, while Armand Van Helden’s You Don’t Know Me was one of those classics that kept everyone dancing. Then came You’ve Got the Love, punctuated by a full-blown pyro explosion on the drop, with Calvin slipping in a bit of acid to spice things up before Feel So Close sent the crowd into full choir mode.

A surprise drop of Insomnia by Faithless, followed by Children by Robert Miles blended with vocals from Under Control, brought a wave of nostalgia, with Harris fully embracing the deeper legacy of classic dance music. His latest tune, Blessings, popped off, raising heart rates, triggering a huge sing-along and a burst of fresh energy on the floor.

We stayed until the very end, tossing around guesses among ourselves about what Calvin would choose as his closing tune. After a set packed with hits, throwbacks, and surprises, he delivered a perfect send-off with his ‘2009 classic I’m Not Alone. As the opening notes rang out, hands shot into the air for one final moment. A fitting end to a night that balanced nostalgia, energy, and pure mainstage magic.

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Calvin Harris’s Tuesday night Ushuaïa opener was everything you’d expect from one of the biggest names in dance music: slick, high-energy, and packed with timeless anthems. With a production scale to match the music and a crowd that was a vibrant mix of old and young who didn’t let up from start to finish, it was a reminder of why he remains a global force with universal appeal.

If this night was anything to go by, Harris, will definitely have what it takes to fill the venue twice a week, for the first time in Ibiza’s history.

Don’t miss out. Find out who is joining Calvin each week and bag your tickets below.

Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” continues as the biggest song in the world, as it tallies a landmark 10th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and an eighth week atop Billboard Global Excl. U.S.

In a busy top 10 on the Global 200, two tracks from the soundtrack to Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters storm the region: “Golden,” by HUNTR/X, EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami (vaulting from No. 52 to No. 2), and “Your Idol,” by Saja Boys, Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo and samUIL Lee (73-10). The former also bounds 51-5 on Global Excl. U.S.

aespa’s “Dirty Work” debuts at No. 5 on the Global 200 and No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S. The South Korean pop group scores its highest ranks and second and third top 10 on the respective charts.

Plus, Ravyn Lenae’s “Love Me Not” rises 11-10 on Global Excl. U.S., where it’s her first top 10.

The Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020 — and two weeks earlier marked their 250th week — rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

“Ordinary” leads the Global 200 with 66 million streams (essentially even week-over-week) and 11,000 sold (up 2%) worldwide June 27-July 3. The song becomes the seventh to have topped the Global 200 for double-digit weeks — here’s a rundown of the list’s longest-leading hits:

• 19 weeks at No. 1, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Mariah Carey, 2020-25
• 18, “Die With a Smile,” Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, 2024-25
• 15, “As It Was,” Harry Styles, 2022
• 13, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, 2023
• 12, “APT.,” ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, 2024-25
• 11, “Stay,” The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, 2021
• 10, “Ordinary,” Alex Warren, 2025

Two songs from the soundtrack to Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters blast to the Global 200’s top 10: “Golden,” billed to HUNTR/X, EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami (52-2), and “Your Idol,” credited to Saja Boys, Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo and samUIL Lee (73-10). The former soared by 135% to 48.4 million streams and 48% to 4,000 sold worldwide in the tracking week; the latter leaped by 117% to 37.6 million streams and 25% to 3,000 sold globally.

The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack surges 8-3 on the U.S.-based Billboard 200, becoming the highest-charting soundtrack of 2025.

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” holds at No. 3 on the Global 200, after 18 weeks at No. 1 starting last September, and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” slips to No. 4 from its No. 2 high.

aespa’s “Dirty Work” opens at No. 5 on the Global 200 with 48.4 million streams and 6,000 sold worldwide following its June 27 release. The act adds its second top 10 on the tally — and first top 10 debut and first top five hit — after “Whiplash” hit No. 8 in November.

“Ordinary” leads Global Excl. U.S. with 47.7 million streams (down 1%) and 4,000 sold (up 1%) outside the U.S.

“Dirty Work” launches at No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S. with 45.2 million streams and 5,000 sold. aespa claims its second top 10 on the chart — and first top 10 debut; “Whiplash” reached No. 5 in November.

“Die With a Smile” dips 2-3 after 17 weeks atop Global Excl. U.S. starting last September and “APT.” steps down 3-4, after reigning for a record 19 weeks beginning in November.

“Golden” shines 51-5 on Global Excl. U.S. with 35 million streams (up 137%) and 2,000 sold (up 46%) beyond the U.S.

Plus, Ravyn Lenae’s “Love Me Not” lifts 11-10 on Global Excl. U.S., powered by a 5% gain to 27.4 million streams outside the U.S. The Chicago-born singer-songwriter earns her first top 10 on the chart with the track, which hit No. 7 a week earlier on the Global 200, where it’s also her first top 10.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated July 12, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, July 8. For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

This article contains spoilers for all episodes of Outrageous

BritBox’s newest period drama, Outrageous, portrays the true story of how the turbulent politics of the 1930s simultaneously tore a family apart and also forged their desire to rebel against their upper-class sheltered background.

Nancy Mitford (Bessie Carter), the eldest sibling, acts as the narrator who explains that her younger sister Diana fell in love with the leader of the British fascists Oswald Mosley (Joshua Sasse), and another sister Unity (Joanna Vanderham) became obsessed with Hitler. On the other side of the spectrum, sister Jessica (Zoe Brough) joined the Communist movement, after seeing how her upper-class family lived in comfort while others were starving.

Previously, GBH Drama interviewed the Executive Producers on their creative process. In the second part of our coverage, GBH Drama spoke with actress Bessie Carter about her perspective on Nancy’s journey throughout the season, the scenes she struggled with most, and what’s next if the series gets renewed.

GBH Drama: What drew you to the role of Nancy? 

Bessie Carter: I was saying “I’m not going to do another period drama.” Then my agents sent me this audition. They were like, “I don’t think you’re going to want to say no to this, though, because it is the lead of a show.” I’d never played a lead before. Then I read the script, and I knew loads about Nancy Mitford; I had weird connections to Nancy Mitford. I [narrated] her book “The Pursuit of Love” five years ago. I went to the same school as her. I lived near where she and Peter Rodd ended up living.

The script is the most important thing in any job. If you have a good script, it’s hopeful that [the product] might be good. If it’s a bad script, there’s no chance. This script was brilliant, and I thought it was funny, and intelligent, and heartfelt. I thought it was mad, the fact that we’d never seen the Mitford Sisters on screen before. I thought, “Oh, my God. I want to be in the first version that tells their story.” Then, to be honest with you, when I went in for my audition, I met Joss Agnew, the director, and Rachel Sheridan, the casting director. I had the best audition in my life, because they were so nice and kind and open and curious. It felt collaborative and energetic. I left with a skip in my step and thinking, “I might have got that job.” Not in an arrogant way, but I got a good feeling. I waited two weeks, and then I got the job. It was great.

GBH Drama: How did being the eldest affect Nancy’s relationship with her parents and her younger siblings throughout the season?

Bessie Carter: They have a close relationship. Her parents put a lot of responsibility on her to look after the brood. It was quite natural for Nancy to look after them. There was a 16-year difference between Nancy and Debo, the youngest. There was some pressure from her parents to keep them all together, but Nancy also feels increasing pressure from her parents to be successful in love and to find an appropriate person. She continually doesn’t do that. Nancy feels quite ashamed towards the end. She then comes back and spends a lot more time with her parents when her relationship with Peter starts to go down the drain. And that’s quite human, isn’t it? You go, “Let’s go back to mum and dad’s,” if you’ve got the privilege of having mum and dad who can have you. She wanted to be looked after.

GBH Drama: Do you believe that if Nancy knew more about the world, she would have made different relationship choices?

Bessie Carter: Her marriage was a rebound because of Hamish. She was with Hamish for four years in an unofficial engagement. She didn’t want to look beyond what she had with Hamish; she wanted to hope for the best. Nancy decided, “okay, I’m going to take the lead,” but it failed. Poor Nancy. When the relationship fell through, I think she felt the shame and the pressure from society to hurry up and get on with it. She never acted or behaved like a victim or felt like a victim, but I think she was a victim of her time. I believe she did have time to potentially find someone else, but I don’t think she let herself. She was a hopeless romantic, and Hamish was very charming, and we’ve all been there. If it were in modern days, she probably would’ve dated Hamish for about six months and then realized the red flags were far too loud to ignore. I think they got married within a month in those days, which is remarkable.

GBH Drama: Nancy narrates the stories of her sisters as well as telling her own. What were the most difficult scenes of hers to portray and why?

Bessie Carter: The scene where Nancy finds her husband cheating on her. When I read the script and I came to the end, I saw Nancy didn’t forgive him, but also made the choice to stay married. When I read that, the 21st-century feminist in me struggled with it. I was like, “No, he’s a shitbag and she should walk away. She should leave.” Sarah Williams, our amazing writer, was like, “No, well. This is just what happened. Nancy made this decision, but not from a place of being a victim who was staying stuck, but from an empowered place where she goes, if he can do whatever he wants, he can never tell me I can’t do what I want.” You have to be true to what their actual story was. It is in some ways very empowered to say, “Right, okay. I see him now for who he is.” There is power in that, but I found that difficult. I found that journey from the betrayal, which she did feel, and the hatred and all of that, to then come to that place of peace… I found that as Bessie, the actor, I had to quieten her opinions about it and step up as Nancy.

GBH Drama: Nancy’s eventual falling out with Diana on the surface is about politics. What else do their conversations reveal?

Bessie Carter: I believe Diana was seduced by a man who needed her and her brain. With a lot of the sisters who went down the extreme paths, they went to places where they felt heard and respected. They weren’t being heard or respected in their normal society, where they were told, “no, you’ve just got to be a wife or a mother,” and “you’re not allowed to go to school. School is for boys.” They then go to the corners of the world where they do feel heard, and I think Diana felt heard by Mosley. She lost interest or connection with her friends in the love affair. Nancy’s continually trying to say, “where are you going? Where have you gone? We are here. What are you doing?” I believe the love story between Nancy and Diana is the interesting love story of the series.

GBH Drama: Do you believe that Nancy had it in her to stop Unity from going off the rails into extreme fascism?

Bessie Carter: Unity was completely ignored and taken the mick out of, and none of them took her seriously. I don’t believe they could see where that path was going to lead. She was a child who was not being heard, and if you think about 18-year-olds in 1930, they’ll be even younger than 18-year-olds today, who look about 25. Nancy didn’t take it seriously; thought it was harmless until it was too late and they received that letter. Then they realized the severity of Unity’s ambition and drive, which [all the sisters] had in different areas, and it probably came from their parents. Nancy had it with her writing. She wrote under her own name. She didn’t care about being a female author.

GBH Drama: Circling back to the age gap, can you elaborate on how that is presented through Nancy’s interactions with Debo, Pam, and Decca?

Bessie Carter: Nancy and Decca have that big sister/little sister thing. They argue, they butt heads; “oh, shut up,” and “oh, no. You.” Pamela was different; very independent from the family. She had her car, so she could drive around. Debo was a lot younger. She was like a child. We were all just trying to honor what was written in Sarah Williams’ scripts. What’s great is that this series is only a tiny fraction of their lives. There’s so much more to go. You see, there are many more dynamics that happen between them all, carrying on. This is very much the setting up; the first few steps leading up to the war. The dream is to do a series two and three as a complete story.

GBH Drama: Were you surprised by the ending in the script? Is there a possibility for more episodes of Outrageous, and what would you like to see from Nancy’s story in the future?

Bessie Carter: It was a clever ending with the photograph. Knowing what has happened in between, it’s excellent. I’d like to see Nancy get to Paris, mainly because I’d love to spend some time in Paris. Nancy felt Paris suited her. I can imagine her with her chic little bob sort of trotting down a pristine cobbled alleyway. That’s probably around the era where Nancy’s voiceovers come from. It would be cool to get to the person who is doing the reflecting.

All episodes of Outrageous are currently streaming on BritBox.

[This story contains major spoilers from season two, volume one of The Sandman, as well as from the comics.]

At the start of the second season of Netflix’s hit fantasy drama series The Sandman, the Fates — a trio of goddesses consisting of the Maiden (Dinita Gohil), the Mother (Nina Wadia) and the Crone (Souad Faress) — delivered an ominous, ambiguous prophecy to the eldest Endless sibling, Destiny (Adrian Lester): “A king will forsake his kingdom. Life and death will clash and fray. The oldest battle begins once more.”

That prophecy will seemingly be fulfilled by the Sandman himself a.k.a. Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge), the powerful cosmic being who controls all dreams. After reclaiming the powers he had previously lost in captivity, destroying the dangerous dream vortex and unmaking the Corinthian at the end of the first season, the moody Morpheus has been quietly rebuilding his kingdom, the Dreaming, with an eye towards the future. But the past will always come back to haunt the King of Dreams.

In the first half of the second and final season of The Sandman (now streaming), largely adapted from the creator Neil Gaiman’s comic collections Season of Mists and Brief Lives, Dream is forced to come to terms with the fact that his actions have hurt the people he loves most. While he is not able to make amends with everyone — who could blame an ex-lover for holding a grudge against him after he condemned her to Hell for 10,000 years? — Dream is able to heal some rifts in his own immediate family.

Three hundred years ago, Dream’s brother, Destruction (Barry Sloane), abandoned his realm, and now the only person who can locate him is Orpheus (Ruairi O’Connor), Dream’s estranged son with the Greek muse Calliope (Melissanthi Mahut). Thousands of years ago, Orpheus had gone against his father’s wishes and accepted a life of immortality in exchange for a trip to the Underworld, where he was unable to rescue his new wife Eurydice (Ella Rumpf). In a last-ditch attempt to be killed and reunited with Eurydice in the Underworld, Orpheus put himself in the path of the Sisters of the Frenzy, a vicious cult of the Greek god Dionysus, who attacked and dismembered him, reducing him to only a severed head.

Desperately wanting to be put out of his misery, Orpheus begged his father to kill him, but Dream could not bring himself to commit the act — in part because the Endless are not allowed to “spill family blood.” Instead, Dream left Orpheus’ head in the care of priests on an uncharted island and told his son they could never see each other again. But centuries later, in exchange for Orpheus’ help in locating Destruction, Dream agrees to grant Orpheus the one boon he has always wanted: the sweet release of death. It’s a loving gift that could very well cost Dream everything.

“When you pared The Sandman comic down to Dream’s emotional arc, it really is so clear that this is a man who has gained some self-knowledge and some self-awareness through his imprisonment, through having to live in the waking world and the mortal world and having to reflect on his past behavior and sins,” showrunner Allan Heinberg tells The Hollywood Reporter.

“In Dream’s mind, he’s the hero of his story. I think he’s very surprised to realize in season two that he is the villain in several people he loves’ stories,” Heinberg continues. “At the end of episode six, the choice is, ‘Do you sacrifice your life for your son?’ And there’s no other choice [but yes] for him — not just because of his own honor, but because he didn’t love his son well thousands of years ago. And now, he has a chance to be a good father, brother and former lover, even though it costs him everything to do so.”

Below, Heinberg unpacks his decision to end The Sandman after two seasons (despite initially conceiving of a three-season adaptation), what Dream’s interactions with his Endless siblings and estranged son reveal about his evolution as a character — and why viewers should not expect Dream to take his fate lying down in volume two. He also teases the final bonus episode centered around Kirby Howell-Baptiste’s Death. (Stay tuned for part two of THR’s conversation with Heinberg, which will be released after the final episodes drop later this month.)

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You’ve maintained that the second season of The Sandman was always meant to be its last, even as fans began to speculate that those reasons weren’t purely creative. Can you walk me through the rationale behind that decision? And on a macro level, how did that affect the structure of this final run of episodes?

We learned making season one that we were only going to focus on the stories where Dream was the protagonist. In the comic book, it has more of an anthology structure. There are long story arcs where he may appear in one or two scenes, but there are other people’s stories. We realized that the audience, for a serialized drama, needs a character that they can follow and root for throughout the entire run of the show. Anthologies are very difficult to pull off [because] every time you introduce a new cast of characters, you have to earn the audience’s trust, love and rooting interest. And with this show, we watched the audience reaction to the first episode and then the second episode, and their interest was always held when Dream was either onscreen or the subject of the scene. But anytime we drifted into other people’s storylines, they got confused and lost interest because it’s called The Sandman and they thought the show was about the Sandman, which we all understand.

So, by the end of season one, we started looking at the stories that were going to be part of a proposed second season. The biggest question mark was around a graphic novel called A Game of You, where Dream has two or three appearances, but it’s not his story. It’s Barbie’s story, who we introduced in season one. So there was some debate about how we would do it. The writers and I actually spent two months, because it was a three-episode arc, building a story for Dream to be part of A Game of You that was not in the comics. In order to tell that story, it would have to become a Dream story, and we labored a long time over it.

In the end, Netflix came to us and said, “What if we skipped it storywise? Since we are focusing on Dream, what if we went straight from the end of Season of Mists into Brief Lives [for volume one]?” It was a proposal. They asked me, “How do you think you would do that?” And because Dream isn’t in A Game of You, it was fairly easy [to adapt]. So, from the comics, we substituted his affair with the witch Thessaly, and we concentrated on Nada — Season of Mists is all about Nada [the Queen of the First People who Dream condemned to hell for 10,000 years after she rejected his proposal to be with him]. So him proposing to Nada again and Nada rejecting him took the place of Thessaly’s rejection, and it was a very seamless way of transitioning into Brief Lives.

I had always thought of The Sandman as a three-season show with 11 episodes in each season, and initially I had crafted season two to end with Orpheus’ death and Dream’s response to it. And then the third season was going to be The Kindly Ones [the ninth and penultimate installment of the original Sandman comics], and everything that comes after. And when we took A Game of You out of the mix, it created all the space we needed for The Kindly Ones and everything that came after. So it was a very organic process of looking at the comics and saying, “If we’re just telling Dream’s story, what are those elements, and can we do it in the 11 episodes that we had? And then [we’ll have] the additional Death episode at the end.”

You’ve always said that your adaptation of The Sandman, at its core, is a family drama centered around Dream. What new facets of Dream did you want to reveal through his interactions with the other Endless siblings? How did you want to humanize him in this second batch of episodes?

Death [Kirby Howell-Baptiste] is really honest with him about his behavior in Season of Mists and Destruction basically tells him several times, “I could not handle it. I could not handle my responsibilities.” Throughout season one, we discovered that Dream has a curiosity and a longing to do things that are outside of his calling, outside of his realm. And every time we see him with another member of the family, it brings out a different side of Dream.

For me, watching his progress over season two, he just becomes more and more and more vulnerable and more emotionally present to the point where — well, you haven’t watched it yet — by the end of the season, he’s so authentically himself with Death at the end. He’s so raw and so naked, and so the opposite of who we met at the beginning of season one. I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but it is profoundly moving. We were able to tell the story as we have because of Tom Sturridge’s phenomenally nuanced, intelligent, deeply felt performance.

Dream is an impossible character to play, especially if you look at the comics, because he reveals nothing. He doesn’t have eyes; he’s got black pits with stars in them. So it’s impossible to tell what he’s thinking or feeling. And the biggest shift for me, as the primary storyteller of the show, is that I had to allow myself in script to let the reader know everything that Dream was thinking and feeling along the way, which was a huge leap for me. Neil Gaiman created this character. I am doing my interpretation, but it took a certain amount of chutzpah, as they say, to put down on the page what I think is going on in the scenes and hope that the writer who created this character agrees and is OK with it.

So that’s the way we were able to tell Dream’s story and focus on it. Tom and I, together with the director Jamie Childs, were constantly transparent about what moments mean, how he’s feeling, and how his feelings dictate his next action in a way that is not in the comic. He is a mystery in the comic; he’s opaque. There are times when in the comic Neil gives him a voiceover and he gives you some insight, but you’re not tracking him emotionally the way that we have had to because we’re a television show. So the bones of the story are the same, but the way we tell the story is very different because we’re telling it from the inside out as opposed to the comic, which is very outside in, I guess. I don’t know if that makes sense, but I’m articulating this for the first time!

Dream’s relationship with Orpheus is such a key part of the comics — and, for me, the relationship that humanizes Dream the most in this adaptation. What was your take on the complexity of their relationship? Why are they both unable to realize that they are more alike than they’re willing to admit until it’s too late for Orpheus?

I love Ruairi’s performance so much. Dream and Orpheus don’t live together. Their time together before [Orpheus’] marriage is limited, but Orpheus clearly adores him. They adore each other. I think that with Orpheus, Dream is warmer and more unguarded than he is even with Calliope. But I think with a young man in love, you watch Dream try to parent him as best he can. You watch him try to put his foot down. He does what I think any protective parent would do in that moment. And Orpheus’s passion, his youth, and maybe some resentment that he didn’t have a full-time father there — there’s something in him that forces him to rebel and need to seek his own course. He’s the hero of his own story. And as a parent, you are powerless to stop your child from doing enormous harm to himself. And at every turn, Dream isn’t evolved enough in that moment to make an emotional appeal to Orpheus, right?

The way that Dream and Orpheus speak to each other at the end of episode six is very different from the way they speak to each other in episode five. You’ve got hundreds of years of regret and recrimination in episode five. They’re very much father and son — “I tell you what to do and how to behave, and you do it because I am your father, and I know more than you.” By the end of it, there are just two people who love each other enormously. In some ways, Orpheus is a much wiser soul by the end of episode six than Dream is and knows so much more about humility and patience and gratitude. Dream is just learning these things now, and his son’s been ahead of him for hundreds of years and you see it in their interaction.

There are two one-on-one scenes between Dream and Orpheus which absolutely gutted me as a viewer: the first being when Dream refuses to kill Orpheus post-decapitation, and the second being when they come face-to-face for the first time at the temple. What did you want to accomplish with those two bookends in the characters’ relationship? How did you want to show the way they’ve evolved or not evolved during their time apart?

It’s interesting because I had to look at that scene on the beach in episode five where Orpheus has been decapitated and he’s begging for his own death. Our dialogue is very similar to the dialogue in the comic. Dream, as a comics reader [myself], always seemed very much like an Old Testament God: “I gave you an order, you disobeyed me, and now you must be punished.” And I couldn’t find a way into writing the scene in a way that made sense to me with Tom’s Dream.

I just thought to myself, “[Dream’s] behaving this way because his heart is broken.” The reason he says we will not see each other again is that Dream can’t handle [seeing him like that]. It is too much for him. From that point of view, as Dream’s walking away from Orpheus, we can see that he is absolutely shattered instead of stone-faced and punishing. You understand how hard this is for him.

And then in the last scene that you referred to, Dream says, “Do you know why I said those things to you? I couldn’t kill you because I couldn’t imagine living in a world without you. There’s no way that I could kill the person I love most in this world and have tried so hard to protect.” Interestingly, that scene doesn’t exist in the comic. There’s an omission, and I was hoping I wouldn’t have to write the scene where Dream and Orpheus face each other for the first time [in a long time]. (Laughs.) In the comic, Dream leaves Delirium [Esmé Creed-Miles] outside the temple, and we stay with Delirium. Dream comes back out and says, “It is done.” So I thought it was a perfect opportunity.

Orpheus, at that point, is so philosophical about his fate and trying to spend his days as best he can. Even though he longs for the peace of death, he’s not an unhappy man. He’s not suffering, and Dream is suffering and has been suffering since he left him on the beach. So there were a lot of ways to go in that scene. Orpheus could have been angry or resentful, but casting Ruairi made it so easy to just have him be loving, accepting and forgiving: “Let’s not waste another minute fighting. Let’s just start loving each other as best we can right now.” It’s such a relief for Dream in that moment because he’s been dreading having to face the biggest mistake he’d ever made.

How did you decide to write Orpheus’ death scene? And what stands out to you about the way Tom chose to play the aftermath of Orpheus’ death?

That’s very much from the comic. I think I added some dialogue, but how difficult it is for [Dream] in the moment and the breakdown in the palace — that’s from the original comic. I think Tom’s performance is absolutely staggering all the way through and so moving. I love that scene in the library with Lucienne [Vivienne Acheampong], the way it was staged. He hides behind a bookcase and Lucienne doesn’t see him, and it was not scripted to have him like that. It was our DP Will Baldy’s idea in the moment, like, “What if it’s too much for him and he can’t face her? And his not showing himself to her shatters her.” It was such a lovely collaborative idea and it sets up that scene in his private quarters where he’s washing the blood off his hands in such a beautiful way. I’m absolutely indebted to Will for having suggested that and to Jamie for the way that it’s shot.

At the end of volume one, Dream is able to reconnect with not only Orpheus but also Destruction. You’ve previously described Destruction’s story as “a soul that’s in conflict.” He doesn’t want to destroy; he wants to create. Can you unpack Destruction’s decision to abandon his realm and his final conversations with Dream before vanishing?

I love that Destruction has the same sense of honor and responsibility about his realm and what his job is that Dream has. But in the end, it became too much for him. He could no longer be the destroyer of lives and universes, and he could not handle it anymore. It really broke him. And he did what no Endless had done previously, which was to essentially just abandon his realm. Dream has been livid with his brother making that decision for 300 years, but I also think that Dream was resentful because he’s jealous. What Dream does takes an enormous toll on his soul and his psyche, and to be able to just leave and pursue a life outside of one’s calling — it’s everything he has wanted and it’s unthinkable to him. In some ways, I think he knows that this job is too much for him.

(Major spoiler alert!) So by becoming more human himself and allowing himself to be reborn through Daniel, which is obviously a spoiler [from the comics] for the end of the series, he understands that the new Dream has to be more human and less Endless in order to serve mankind the right way, in ways that he was not able to. So I think Destruction teaches him that.

What I find so compelling about Barry’s performance is you see Destruction, who is Dream’s younger brother, has also evolved more than Dream has. Having fallen in love with humanity before Dream did, he knows so much more about his own heart — and he wishes he could help Dream. You saw it in episodes five and six, especially in episode six. He’s trying so hard to help Dream out of this prison that he’s created for himself. I think he does get in, obviously, but in that moment, Dream can’t really hear it or respond to it. So I find it really powerfully moving where Destruction is basically saying to him, “I have been here. I have felt these things. I know exactly what you’re going through, and you don’t have to.” Dream obviously shuts down and isn’t ready for that advice at that moment.

Volume one ends with the Fates seemingly divided about taking action against Dream, but regardless of how they personally feel about him, the fact that Dream has spilled family blood means that he will now have to face the consequences of his actions. What can you preview about the final five episodes of his story and the bonus episode involving Death?

In the back half, Dream is going to do everything he possibly can to keep his life and his kingdom, and the people who work with him, whole and safe and alive. He’s not just going to give up. He’s not just going to resign himself to his fate. He’s going to fight for the next five episodes, because that’s who he is. So it’s not over, and there are lots of surprises along the way.

That final episode is a very interesting episode for us. It’s freestanding. It doesn’t really have anything to do with the 11 episodes prior to it, but it’s a continuation of all the themes that we’ve been exploring the entire time. It’s especially topical now — I mean, I guess it’s always going to be topical — because the world is a very dark place at the moment, and we are all trying to figure out how to live in it with love and with hope. That’s what Dream is trying to do the entire time in the body of the season, and that’s what Death is trying to convey to Colin Morgan’s character, Sexton. So that’s our goodnight kiss to the audience, and our thank you to the audience for staying with us through these two seasons.

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The Sandman is now streaming on Netflix. The next five episodes, which will conclude Dream’s story, will drop on July 24, with a bonus episode centered around Death set to drop on July 31.