These TV Shows and Movies Will Make You a Better Person in 2026

This week:

• My 2026 pop culture resolutions.
• The Marty Supreme scene we need to talk about.
• How we all watched Heated Rivalry.
• The Andy Cohen/Anderson Cooper fan club.
• Early contender for coat of the year.

New Year, New Me?

In 2026, I will “exercise more” and “eat healthier” and “drink less” and “stop talking behind people’s backs.”

My fingers barely managed to type that whole thing, my body having an involuntary reaction to what a bald-faced lie those promises are. The sentence was basically laughing at me by the time I typed a period. But I can realistically vow to change how I watch, think, and talk about all the pop culture we—me and all of you—are obsessed with.

I will get it up to care even the slightest bit about the new Avengers movie. You Marvel fans seem like decent people, and I should try to get to know you better.

I will stop watching seven episodes of a TV season and never get around to finishing it. The Morning Show, I’m about to finally watch what happens in one of your finales.

I will make a concerted effort to understand why so many of you have a crush on Timothée Chalamet.

I will shut up about how much I love Jonathan Bailey. But be warned: I can’t promise that the obsession won’t be replaced with a different crush. Is 2026 the year I am insufferable about Heated Rivalry star Francois Arnaud? TBD.

I will have an open mind about the sure-to-be dreadful new season of Euphoria that is finally coming, so that I can be truly objective when ranting about how bad it is.

I will not make the sequels to The Devil Wears Prada and Practical Magic my entire personality. And I just want you all to know how hard that will be.

I will read a book that is not a celebrity memoir. Maybe.

I will try not to cry during every episode of the new seasons of Bridgerton, The Pitt, and Shrinking. The world is getting tougher by the day. It’s about time I grow a pair and stop crying at every damn thing I watch.

I will remain unflagging and unwavering in my life’s mission: defending every single career choice and project Jennifer Lopez makes.

I will be as convincing as possible when I pretend to understand the plot of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming The Odyssey movie, starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, and Zendaya.

I will find the next actress to become psychopathic over my insistence that she win an Oscar. Current contenders are Emily Blunt, Rachel McAdams, and Regina Hall, but stay tuned for updates.

I will bite my tongue and pretend if the new Toy Story sequel isn’t good, because I firmly believe that it is the greatest quality movie franchise we have and I refuse to let that be tarnished. Plus, the plot is the toys being existentially threatened by the arrival of a kids’ tablet. How is that not going to be good?

I will give grace to the new Hunger Games movie, Sunrise on the Reaping, because, while I’m exhausted by franchises being milked so dry that puffs of dust exist where enthusiasm once was, the book was actually good, which is encouraging.

I will catch up on Industry so that I’ll be up to date when the new season starts and can pretend I’ve been one of the cool kids obsessed with this show all along.

I will learn what a “Morgan Wallen” is.

I will stop fabricating feuds for no reason with fake celebrity enemies who don’t even know I exist. (I’m not the only one who does this, right?)

I will make the new season of The Comeback the most popular show on television. It is my calling, and I vow to take it with the seriousness it deserves.

We Need to Talk About Marty Supreme

If you’ve seen Marty Supreme, you know there’s one scene we need to talk about. And if you haven’t seen the new movie, you’re about to learn why you need to: It’s the scene where Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank spanks Timothée Chalamet’s bare bum with a ping pong paddle.

Amazingly, this scene—again, this spanking scene—is quite consequential in the movie. Chalamet plays a table tennis prodigy who is relegated to hustling, reduced to conning his way into enough money to travel to Japan for a major competition he is certain will be his coronation as one of the greatest athletes in the world.

At his lowest point, he gravels to the business tycoon played by Mr. Wonderful (aka Kevin O’Leary), who takes advantage of Marty’s beggar status to stage a capitalist spectacle: He agrees to help Marty out, but only if he drops his drawers in front of all the bigwigs at a fancy party, and allows him to paddle his exposed derriere for a laugh at his expense. (Yes, you get to see Chalamet butt, if this bizarre context for it somehow excites you.)

What tickled me this week, however, was O’Leary’s recounting of shooting the scene.

Filming of the scene apparently went on for hours. A softer prop paddle had to be swapped for a real one because it broke. “When it came time to whack him, there was a stunt a--. There was a double,” O’Leary told Variety. “[Chalamet] wouldn’t do it. He said he’ll do it himself. He didn’t want some other a-- immortalized.”

He didn’t want some other a-- immortalized.

Honestly, that is the exact correct perspective for a celebrity to have. Every nude scene is screenshotted and disseminated to all corners of the internet to live for eternity. If a tushie is going to be immortalized in that way, it might as well be your own.

The Proper Reaction to Have

The world is righting itself, it appears, because every other conversation I’ve had or even overheard others having during the holiday week centered around Heated Rivalry. It’s astounding to me, and it is correct.

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One of my favorite social media moments related to this phenomenon was when actress Busy Philipps posted a video that her daughter took of her when she finally watched the epic coming-out scene at the end of Episode 5. She is, as we all were, weeping. Like, guttural, full-body sobs. Finally, there’s video exhibiting how all of us reacted watching the show.

The Saviors of New Year’s Eve

Every year, there is exasperating discourse about Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper’s inebriated hosting of CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage.

Even departing New York City Mayor Eric Adams had an outsized reaction, calling Cohen an alcoholic who needs help after the face of Bravo ranted about him. (Listen, Eric, if every tipsy New York gay who monologued about how incompetent you were needed to go to AA, those meeting rooms would have to quadruple in size.)

My take: Enough! These are the only people on TV actually having fun on New Year’s Eve. And you know what is fun to watch? People having fun! Apologies if you think Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora are a laugh riot, or if you were thoroughly enjoying the CBS country music special that cut out and played a Kathy Bates lawyer show instead.

Andy and Anderson are two giggly gays having a good time as the clock counts down to midnight, and in doing so, give us all permission to do the same. And if we don’t have our own plans, at least we can join their kiki. Enough with the annual discussion about it. Give the boys a bottle of tequila and let the good times roll.

One Last New Year’s Thought

Related to the above: Who wants to buy me Andy’s coat?

More From The Daily Beast’s Obsessed

The Daily Beast’s picks for the best movies of 2025. Read more.

The Daily Beast’s picks for the best TV shows of 2025. Read more.

The Daily Beast’s picks for the best—and worst—sex scenes of 2025. Read more.

What to watch this week:

The Plague: Be warned: This movie will transport you back to your tween years. (Now in theaters)

Song Sung Blue: This is so much better than a movie about a Neil Diamond tribute should be. (Now in theaters)

Marty Supreme: Timmy is coming for that Oscar—but the movie needed more Fran Drescher! (Now in theaters)

What to skip this week: