Ryan Murphy’s Menendez brothers story stays atop Netflix’s TV chart as audience grows in second week
Netflix
Ryan Murphy‘s newest Monster series on Netflix stayed atop the streamer’s English TV List for the week of Sept. 23, and in its second week at #1, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story managed a bigger audience than its debut week.
The drama that co-stars Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny was Netflix’s most-watched title of the week, attracting 19.5 million views — and it was in the top 10 in 89 countries.
The based-on-real-life true crime series debuted with 12.3 million views in its first week on the streamer.
Debuting in second place was the new rom-com Nobody Wants This, starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody. It drew 10.3 million viewers in its first week.
If Ariana Grande ever decides to give up singing and acting, she could always play Vegas as an impressionist. She showed off her incredible gift for mimicry on the Oct. 12 edition of Saturday Night Live, which she was hosting for the first time since 2016.
Ari kicked off the show with a monologue in which she swore to keep it “low-key,” and then busted out a song that was all about how she wasn’t going to do any number of things, which she, of course, did. One of them was doing vocal impressions, followed by her impersonating Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and Gwen Stefani in rapid succession. “Either way, this much is clear/ If you’re looking for a diva, don’t look over here,” she sang, while striking a diva pose.
She then went on to appear in nearly every sketch. Some highlights:
Ari hilariously impersonates Céline Dion’s recent promo for Sunday Night Football, except this time, she’s singing about how great (and violent) the UFC is: “It’s all coming back to me, but maybe not to them, because of the concussions, no?”
She and Chloe Finemando dueling, spot-on Jennifer Coolidge impressions in a fake commercial for Maybelline — which causes Ari to briefly break and start laughing.
Ari plays a highly competitive mom who verbally abuses her son’s boyfriend, played by Bowen Yang, as a way of testing whether or not he’s “strong” enough to be with her “weak” son. She and Yang, her Wicked co-star, share a kiss at the end.
In a short called My Best Friend’s House, Ari plays a young girl who sings about how she loves how her bestie’s house smells — only to learn that her best friend’s dad is a serial killer.
In Renaissance Italy, Ariana plays a young boy whose parents castrated him to preserve his super-high singing voice — a real thing that was done back then. This gives Ari the chance to sing “Twist and Shout” at the very top end of her register.
Ari and the female SNL castmembers sing an “Espresso” parody as bridesmaids detailing what they got up to at the bride’s bachelorette weekend. Spoiler alert: The marriage is over.
On Thursday evening at the Norman Lear Center in Los Angeles, a collection of television shows will be hailed for their ability to “inform, educate and motivate viewers to make choices for healthier and safer lives.”
Original Saturday Night Live cast member Laraine Newman will host the Lear Center’s Hollywood, Health & Society’s Sentinel Awards show.
Honored this year will be ABC’s Abbott Elementary and Grey’s Anatomy; HBO’s The Morning Show and Hacks; Fox’s The Simpsons; Apple TV+’s Expats and The Big Cigar; Prime Video’s Gen V; FX’s Feud; AMC’s Dark Winds;and NBC’s Lopez Vs. Lopez.
“I love the idea of shows that deal with the conversation of the most pressing issues that we’re dealing with in our culture,” Newman tells ABC Audio. “And all of these shows present it in a way that is the most palatable way imaginable, which is comedy, which is also exactly what Norman Lear did.”
The performer is also celebrating dual 50th anniversaries this year: The Groundlings comedy troupe in which she was an original member and Saturday Night Live, which had its first show on Oct. 11, 1975.
Newman was on the show until 1980’s season. She said it took some time to realize SNL‘s significance: “I think subsequent years, when it was clear that it was going to be an institution and that each year, with each successive cast … it always moved the tone and voice and style of comedy forward.”
The show’s first-ever episode is the basis of Jason Reitman‘s film Saturday Night, for which she was extensively interviewed. Emily Fairn plays Newman. “I loved the movie,” Newman gushes, calling it “incredibly entertaining and exciting.”
The movie plays out in real time, ending with Cory Michael Smith, playing Chevy Chase, saying, “Live from New York: It’s Saturday Night!” — which Newman said brought her to tears.
Denzel Washington, Nicole Kidman and Ariana Grande are among the stars reacting to their 2025 Golden Globes nominations.
Washington detailed his experience filming Gladiator II — the film that earned him his 11th nomination, the most of any Black performer at the Golden Globes — after being nominated in the best performance by a male actor in a supporting role in any motion picture category.
“Before I even worked with Sir Ridley Scott, I was a fan of his movies and his talent,” Washington said in a statement. “The sheer size of this particular production and the incredible cast of actors and crew he assembled, not to mention what he literally built of ancient Rome, humbles me – it humbled me every day on set. And giving me Macrinus – to embody, to enjoy, to create – what an incredible honor this is, and has been.”
Kidman shared a statement reacting to her nomination for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture (drama) for her work in Babygirl.
“Wow!!!! Thank you to the members of The Golden Globes. I am so grateful to be included on this extraordinary list of nominees and to Halina Reijn for trusting me with the role of Romy,” she said. “I share this with Harris, Antonio, Sophie and the entire cast of BABYGIRL.”
Grande shared a reaction to her nomination for best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture for her role in Wicked to her Instagram Story.
“oh my goodness oh my goodness… i am floored and honored to be recognized by members of the @goldenglobes. crying (of course) … It’s impossible to find my words, but I am simply, so deeply grateful for this acknowledgement,” she wrote. “i can’t possibly express my gratitution.”
Hugh Grant shared a statement reacting to his nomination for best performance by a male actor in a motion picture (musical or comedy) for his role in Heretic.
“I feel like a gate crasher. But a very warmly received one,” he said. “Massive thanks to the Golden Globes and to Scott Beck and Bryan Woods for spotting my need to kill, and to A24 for sponsoring it.”
