In a video entitled “It’s Been Awhile,” Riegel opened up about the harrowing tonsil cancer diagnosis and treatment that has kept him away from the Critical Role table. You can watch the video below.

From Ashley Johnson’s work on Blindspot to Bells Hells’ party split, a combination of internal and external factors have contributed to absent stretches from core Critical Role cast members throughout the show’s tenure. While the prolonged period between the death of Riegel’s beloved Fresh Cut Grass and his show-stopping entrance as Braius Doomseed certainly caused some rumblings in the Critter community, Riegel’s absence was ultimately no one’s business but his own. However, Riegel chose to lift the curtain as a means to raise awareness of the preventative measures that can be taken against oropharyngeal carcinoma and to thank those who helped him during his battle and ongoing recovery.

Riegel disclosed that he underwent surgery to remove his tonsil and a portion of his tongue and soft pallet, which meant he had to relearn how to speak and swallow. The role player did not solely disclose these details to explain the slight slurring in his speech noticed by fans after Critical Role’s recent live episode, but more so to emphasize the importance of seeking out a Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. “When I was younger there was no such thing as an HPV vaccine,” Riegel spoke on the widespread virus that can develop into oropharyngeal carcinoma, “So, the big takeaway is, go ask your doctor about that vaccine please.”

After surgery, Riegel endured six weeks of radiation treatment. Though the actor candidly disclosed that both the surgery and radiation treatment “sucked”, he expressed the utmost gratitude and reverence for Dr. Jill Mazza, Dr. Uttam Sinha, Dr. Adam Garsa, Dr. Tamashiro, Dr. Jan, and all the medical professionals who helped with his diagnosis and recovery. Friends and family likewise played a crucial role in aiding Riegel throughout this ordeal, though the Critical Role cast member explained that he still has “many more months before I will be 100%”.

July’s Critical Role: Downfall will continue to grant Riegel a break to focus on his health and recovery, with Critters sending along copious well wishes to the actor and his family in the wake of Monday’s announcement.

“The new season of The Bear has a split-second shot of a photo of Bradley Cooper’s character in Burnt,” X user Patrick Willems shared, providing photographic evidence of the blink-and-you-miss-it moment during a Season 3 montage featuring clippings of chefs and restauranteurs. As a loving homage to the culinary world, The Bear has had its fair share of celebrity chefs playing themselves in cameo roles as well as non-chef celebrities like Joel McHale and Olivia Colman playing chefs; the series even delightfully employed celebrity chef Matty Matheson as one of the ensemble’s rare culinary layman. But a fictional chef from another universe is unchartered territory for The Bear. While Occam’s razor suggests that this moment was possibly just a fun Easter egg for audiences with Willem’s level of commitment to catch, an inside joke, or simply a reference to Cooper’s time in professional kitchens prepping for the film, it’s certainly entertaining to imagine that Burnt’s Adam Jones and The Bear’s Carmen Berzatto share a universe.

Though a far cry from the critical acclaim of The Bear, Burnt does happen to have a great deal of thematic overlap with the contemporary series. Much like Jeremey Allen White’s Carmy, Cooper portrays a tortured chef gunning for another Michelin star as he works on himself in the wake of a personal setback. Both temperamental fictional men even share a surface-level aesthetic, sans the tattoos. The Mary Sue points out an additional detail shared between the properties, as The Bear Season 3 features a scene where Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Richie zeroes in on a fork discarded on the titular restaurant’s floor, a tell-tale signifier of a Michelin reviewer according to Daniel Brühl’s Tony in Burnt.

While the image of Cooper in The Bear is undoubtedly ripped directly from Burnt‘s poster, the 2015 film was not the actor’s first time in the kitchen. In 2005, Cooper played a fictionalized version of Anthony Bourdain while starring in the sitcom adaptation of his memoir Kitchen Confidential. Though it’s unlikely Cooper will reprise Adam Jones or Jack Bourdain on The Bear, fans have had fun imagining a world where Carmy exists alongside other fictional chefs in the wake of Willems’ post. Crossovers between The Bear and Chef, The Menu, Ratatouille, and even the Muppets’ Swedish chef have been jokingly thrown about online, with X user Cynical Monkey cleverly dubbing these mashups the Michelin Cinematic Universe.

Character designer and storyboard artist Rebekah Jin – known as @eggramen_ on X and Instagram – deftly envisioned House of the Dragon’s Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen in the vibrant world of Hades. The House of the Dragon royals were each further fanonized as Hades‘ non-player characters with the aid of some of the Game of Thrones prequel’s most divine lines of dialogue. Jin’s fitting House of Hades crossover proved a massive hit with fans of both franchises, with many commenters expressing interest in seeing more House of the Dragon characters in Jin’s pitch-perfect Hades style – a request that the artist teased may come to fruition in the future.

Jin’s artwork exemplifies the near-perfect circle that is the Venn Diagram of Greek mythology savants and fans of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire franchise, with the sprawling ensembles, dramatic power struggles, and lore-rich narratives found in both larger-than-life worlds clearly attracting like-minded crowds. Much like in Greek mythology, the universe of Game of Thrones contains a variety of narratives within its fantasy world from political intrigue to doomed romances to hero’s journeys. The romance element in particular has inspired an active fanfic and fanart community around properties like Hades and House of the Dragon. Thus, it may come as no surprise that Jin’s comments likewise saw Rhaenicent shippers flush with new crossover inspiration.

Jin’s fanart arrives at the nexus of Hades and House of the Dragon’s recent returns, with the two franchises firmly reclaiming their chokehold on the cultural zeitgeist. Fans got their hands on Hades II early access in May and were treated to House of the Dragon’s Season 2 premiere in about a month’s time. House of the Dragon’s second season has only just gotten underway and will continue to unveil chapters in its prequel saga throughout the summer. Two of the year’s most fiery franchisees live in perfect harmony in Jin’s piece, one that’s successfully captured fan’s imaginations. Those biding their time for a potential continuation of House of Hades can investigate Jin’s original work on the Webtoon series Ari, San, and The Reaper in the meantime.

In honor of Never Stop Blowing Up kicking off its adventure this week, Roland took to Instagram to grant fans insight into how the Dimension 20 season found its blood-soaked theme and aesthetic. “Brennan says he did this season as an homage to me,” Roland wrote, disclosing that all her favorite films are action comedies. Though Mulligan has both Game Mastered for and role played alongside Roland in many past Dimension 20 entries, Never Stop Blowing Up marked a special milestone for the pair as Roland was far along in her pregnancy with the couple’s first child while the season was being filmed.

“I laughed so hard everyone was scared I would go into labor,” Roland continued in her Instagram post about Never Stop Blowing Up, which she cited as her favorite career project. During Never Stop Blowing Up’s production, Mulligan and Roland’s pregnancy news was still publicly under wraps. Though the couple’s justifiably kept their newborn out of the spotlight, they’ve now publicly opened up about becoming parents and the technicalities of filming Dimension 20 while pregnant. In a subsequent post shared to her Instagram story, the comedian offered a further peak behind the curtain of her Never Stop Blowing Up pregnancy, complete with a massage-gun-wielding Mulligan.

Though Roland’s stage of pregnancy certainly represents a novelty in the dome, she and Mulligan were not the only cast members to join a Dimension 20 season on the precipice of parenthood. Burrow’s End roleplayer Jasper William Cartwright welcomed a baby shortly after the family-oriented Dungeons & Dragons season, opening up about the sentimental experience afterward on social media. When Mulligan and Roland’s news first went public, Cartwright commented: “Burrow’s End hits different AGAIN huh?” (via X).

As for Never Stop Blowing Up, the action comedy’s off to as raucous a start as Roland promised. The season’s stunts are coordinated in a version of the Kids on Bikes TTRPG system, one familiar to fans of past Dimension 20 outings Mentopolis and Misfits and Magic. Dome regulars Ally Beardsley, Ify Nwadiwe, Rekha Shankar, Alex Song-Xia, and first-timer Jacob Wysocki join Roland as a collection of average Joes transported into explosive VHS stardom.

The Bear’s Runtime Qualifies It as an Emmy Comedy

Those staunchly defending The Bear’s credentials as a comedy seemingly have their thesis etched in Emmy gold. However, something that often gets lost in both sides of the argument regarding The Bear’s award season success is that its wins at the 2024 Emmy ceremony were earned for its first season. Though season one’s finale features an emotionally poignant seven-minute monologue about addiction, grief, and suicide, those arguing the show’s status as a drama will most often namedrop the memorable Season 2 episode “Fishes,” while those on team comedy will cite scenes like Sydney accidentally rear-ending Richie with a knife in Season 1. While Sydney’s misplaced kitchen tool is arguably funnier than anything that ever happened on Amazon Prime’s Transparent, The Bear’s first season was positioned to sweep the Emmys for the same reason as the latter program – its half-hour runtime.

In 2014, Orange Is the New Black helped put Netflix on the award season map when it curiously scored twelve Emmy nominations as a comedy and one Golden Globe nomination as a drama – demonstrating just how complicated genre distinction has become in a modern television landscape. Though Orange Is the New Black by no means swept the 2014 ceremony, its presence in the comedy category gave rise to a new statute. Moving forward, the Television Academy would recognize half-hour programs as comedies and hour-long programs as dramas. Having shored up their definition of comedy and drama, the Emmys welcomed Orange Is the New Black back in the drama category in subsequent years, whereas the Golden Globes would go on to categorize the prison series as a comedy for the remainder of its run, to avoid any accusation that a consensus had been reached.

Orange Is the New Black went from twelve Emmy nominations in 2014 to just four in 2015 when it had to compete against titans like Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Better Call Saul, and its fellow Netflix original House of Cards. Unsurprisingly, Orange Is the New Black longed to be reincluded in a category where dramedies like Fleabag and Master of None performed particularly well, petitioning the Television Academy to reinstate its comedy status. This newfound petition system allowed for exceptions to the Emmy’s runtime rules, with hour-long series like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel maintaining a comedy status through this appeal process.

Even those who vehemently define The Bear as a pure drama would concede that this runtime policy grants the series a more advantageous chance at Emmy gold, especially considering that the 2023 drama race would have pitted its freshman season against Succession’s final bow. Though some may decry category fraud to the tune of The Martian’s 2016 Golden Globe comedy win, there’s a clear-cut rationale as to why The Bear wouldn’t have attempted to petition itself out of comedy contention.

Related: How To Apply For Hulu’s Virgin Island

The Best Dramas Have a Touch of Comedy (And Vice Versa)

Though the Television Academy is often touted as more of an authority than other awards ceremonies, it is worth noting that The Bear‘s comedy domination has not been limited to the Emmy Awards. In fact, the aforementioned “Fishes” has already taken home a Directors Guild of America Award for outstanding comedy direction. Wins of this nature certainly recollect The Martian debacle at the 2016 Golden Globes, one which provoked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to issue the statement that going forward: “dramas with comedic overtones should be entered as dramas” (per The Hollywood Reporter). Though this HFPA decree concerns film entries and still leaves plenty of wiggle room, it provides a lens under which to examine the current discourse surrounding The Bear‘s status as a comedy.

Television fans seemed in near unanimous agreement that The Bear, while an indisputably award-worthy show, took advantage of genre loopholes during this past award season. However, a contrarian faction began to rise out of this conversation’s ashes, highlighting some of The Bear‘s funniest moments and characters as evidence that the series was correctly classified as a comedy. Neither nitpicking Matty Matheson’s slapstick highlight reel nor Carmy delivering bleak dialogue like “I Googled ‘fun’ the other day” are necessarily strong foundations for arguing the show’s genre in either direction. If someone got asked to categorize How I Met Your Mother, having only been shown the Season 6 scene where Lily tells Marshall that his father died, they might falsely presume that the laugh-track network sitcom was a drama. The Bear cannot be diagnosed as a comedy from a handful of curated screencaps, just as it can’t be deemed a romance based on the sheer magnitude of SydCarmy fancams in circulation – its genre can only be properly analyzed as the sum of its parts.

While The Bear may first appear neighbors with genre-bending dramedies like Fleabag and Reservation Dogs due to its shared themes of grief, the kitchen series has much more in common with classic television dramas than its peers. Many describe their experiences with the latter two programs as cathartic and bittersweet, whereas “stressful” is the word most heavily associated with The Bear‘s viewing experience. A sense of stress and drama cannot be maintained at a breakneck pace; moments of comedic relief must be incorporated to amplify this sensation.

Some of the most indelible moments in television history have arisen when dramas have given their audiences comedic reprieve, with iconic examples including Don Draper’s dry “I don’t think about you at all,” Walter White’s pizza throwing fit, Tony Soprano’s consensus on the optimal pulp content orange juice, and Shiv Roy’s tumble down the stairs. These moments from Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and Succession aren’t funny despite their existence within drama programs – they represent some of the most memorable comedic moments in television history, regardless of genre. The Bear‘s comedic breaks are much more aligned with these scenes than dramedies like Fleabag and Reservation Dogs, where joke writing still remains central to the show’s conceit rather than a means to dissipate mounting dramatic tensions.

While the HFPA’s definition of “dramas with comedic overtones” certainly applies to The Bear, the series remained in comedy consideration at The Golden Globes this past nomination season. Despite how awards season politics and dissenting voices will forever shape some to perceive The Bear as a comedy, the majority of audiences have come to embrace the series’ as not only a drama but one of the greatest television dramas of the Peak TV era.

The Bear is streaming now on Hulu.

In a post shared on Instagram and X, Dungeons & Dragons Beyond went full Dirt & Dirt Beyond by decreeing that “a little dirt under your pillow is a material component for warding against the dirt man”. This piece of the Dirt Man’s lore was, of course, outlined in Vail’s song, alongside a warning that failing to leave a little dirt under one’s pillow may result in the Dirt Man bringing the offending party to his lair deep under the mountain in the event that he comes to town. D&D Beyond’s nod to the internet’s newest cryptid sensation speaks to the popularity the Tooth Fairy-esque figure has received in the tabletop scene.

Much like last year’s “Planet of the Bass”, the Dirt Man’s overture might not be in genuine competition for song of the summer, but it has nonetheless risen to acclaim in the most meme-able corners of the internet, particularly the D&D community. A sketch by TikTok creator willigansisland demonstrated one manner in which the Dirt Man’s mythos may be woven into a tabletop setting. Though comedic in nature, many commentors on both willigansisland and D&D Beyond’s posts expressed genuine interest in including the Dirt Man in their Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.

The Dirt Man is not the first example of a meme enthralling the Dungeons & Dragons community, with the Shaggy memes of 2019 resulting in an infamously overpowered 5th edition homebrew of the Scooby-Doo stoner. Vail’s song has inspired D&D homebrewers to once again work their meme magic, with TikTokers a.d20.every.day and superluigi64 both providing potential stat blocks for a fey interpretation of the Dirt Man. Superluigi64 has taken this pursuit a step further, crafting various homebrewed D&D non-player characters inspired by Vail’s unique musical stylings.

Vail was understandably tagged throughout the comment section of D&D Beyond’s Instagram post, but so was a notable fan of the song within the actual-play community. Dimension 20 and Critical Role‘s Aabria Iyengar expressed her personal admiration for Vail’s Dirt Man in a recent Worlds Beyond Number Fireside Chat, leading many to mention her in the post as well. Though Iyengar and D&D Beyond’s acknowledgment of the Dirt Man doesn’t necessarily canonize him, players can continue to dream (it’s just advised that they sprinkle a little bit of dirt under their pillow before they do).

Critical Role’s recent live episode at The Greek Theater made its way to the masses Thursday night, ending with an Marvel Cinematic Universe-style threat that Brennan Lee Mulligan will return to break hearts this July in Downfall, his voyage back to the Calamity. Core Critical Role cast members Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, and Taliesin Jaffe will accompany Mulligan at the end of the world, as will Noshir Dalal, Abubakar Salim, and Nick Marini.

Despite the fresh cast and contained three-episode arc, Downfall will not represent an Exandria Unlimited-esque hiatus in Critical Role’s main programming. Downfall (or Calamity 2: Electric Boogaloo) will encompass Episodes 99 through 101 of Critical Role’s ongoing third campaign. Bells Hells’ antagonist Ludinus Da’leth has granted the party this peak into the divine’s role in Exandria’s Calamity to vindicate his vendetta against the Gods. Downfall’s three episodes will stream on YouTube, Twitch, and Critical Role‘s new streaming service Beacon on Thursdays July 11, 18, and 25 at 7 p.m. PT.

Of course, Downfall’s schedule means that those who recently fell victim to the bardic charms of Sam Riegel’s new player character, Briaus Doomseed, will have to wait until August to see the shamelessly flirtatious Minotaur return. Riegel had previously joined Mulligan during the fall of Avalir in Exandria Unlimited: Calamity alongside Critical Role cast members Marisha Ray and Travis Willingham and guests Luis Carazo, Aabria Iyengar, and Lou Wilson. Downfall‘s table shares no overlap with Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, allowing Mulligan to ask an entirely new set of role players if they’re weakest at the elbow or the shoulder.

From Campaign 2’s expedition to the Aeorian ruins to Aeormaton player characters like Fresh Cut Grass, Aeor has long held a tremendous significance both to Critical Role fans and to the show’s overall worldbuilding. In Downfall, Mulligan and his players offer a highly anticipated glimpse into this lost piece of Exandrian history, one that Ludinus indicated could ultimately recruit Bells Hells into his current war against the pantheon. Much like Exandria Unlimited: Calamity Downfall’s posed to weave another epic tragedy between Gods and Exandrians (though, hopefully there’s an opportunity to check in on beloved Calamity NPC Bolo amid Aeor’s fall).

Downfall‘s potential to provide answers to long brewing Exandrian mysteries and put fans once more through the emotional wringer of the Calamity has teed Critical Role up for a banner July.

How Pretty Little Liars Connects to Riverdale

With unforgettable dialogue like “That means you haven’t known the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows of high school football” and “It’s not queerbaiting, it’s saving the world”, it became abundantly clear that Riverdale’s cultural impact could not be confined to its eponymous small town. In special crossover episodes with Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and short-live spinoff Katy Keene – both of which deserve reexamination in light of the series’ connection to Pretty Little Liars – Riverdale injected its delightfully zany storytelling into other television universes. While the overall tone of Riverdale and Pretty Little Liars were not too dissimilar, the two came to share a universe rather arbitrarily.

Though not involved in Pretty Little Liars flagship series, Riverdale mastermind Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa came on board the teen mystery for the spin-off of the same name. To distinguish the 2022 series from its predecessor, Season 1 of the spinoff was dubbed Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, with its current sophomore season subtitled Summer School.

The sixth installment of Original Sin included the franchise’s first Riverdale Easter egg by namedropping the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Aguirre-Sacasa penned the reference into Original Sin on a whim, telling TV Line: “I assumed that we wouldn’t be allowed to reference Riverdale, since it’s in a completely different universe, but it stayed in”. The showrunner conceded that the two franchises must now exist in the same universe.

Summer School offered a new, familial tie between the television universes when Greg Mantzoukas reported that Riverdale‘s Kevin Keller is his cousin. Here, Aguirre-Sacasa doubled down on his Season 1 Easter egg, establishing a further bond between his television projects. Aguirre-Sacasa’s not the only one on the set of Pretty Little Liars invested in this Riverdale connection, with the showrunner commenting that: “Alex [Aiono], who plays Shawn, is obsessed with the idea of a rivalry between the Millwood High Steppenwolfs and the Riverdale Bulldogs”. Perhaps the epic highs and lows of high school football could serve as a fertile backdrop for Pretty Little Liars next Riverdale Easter egg (or even a crossover).

How Do Lucy Hale and Sabrina Spellman Factor into Pretty Little Liars and Riverdale’s Shared Universe?

One of the first questions that fans had regarding Pretty Little Liars‘ newfound connection to Riverdale was how exactly to explain Lucy Hale’s distinct existence in both universes. Hale starred as Aria Montgomery in Pretty Little Liars and Katy Keene in Riverdale and her self-titled spinoff. However, considering that Riverdale made tongue-in-cheek references to their own recasting of Reggie Mantle, this double-helping of Hale doesn’t seem to threaten the universe’s charmingly blasé attitude toward continuity.

Though playing more minor roles than Hale, Riverdale already ran up against similar instances of actor overlap in its crossovers with The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Nikolai Witschl, Sean Depner, and Sarah Desjardins ranked among the performers included in Riverdale and Sabrina‘s shared acting pool.

Speaking of the iconic teenage witch, many now wonder whether Sabrina Spellman is part of Pretty Little Liars canon due to the transitive property of crossovers specials. Original Sin‘s reference to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy already opened Pandora’s Box by tying Pretty Little Liars to a story filled with superpowers, ghost trains, time travel, and Gargoyle Kings. With Riverdale as a middle ground, it’s not a leap to connect Sabrina‘s supernatural tale with Pretty Little Liars‘ murder mystery. Though all three series are connected through Aguirre-Sacasa’s creative vision, it still feels as though the stars aligned to allow for franchises spread across three different networks to live in such harmony. Long live the Aguirre-Sacasa-verse.

Imogen and Laudna’s sapphic slow-burn quickly became one of the most popular romantic pairings of Critical Role’s third campaign. However, roughly a year (out of universe) since the witchy romance became canon, the pair has run into a seemingly insurmountable obstacle in Laudna’s warlock patron, Delilah Briarwood. So, have Imodna officially called it quits?

Are Critical Role’s Imogen and Laudna Broken Up?

In an event Critical Role Lore Keeper Dani Carr would later refer to as Swordgate, Laudna attempted to swipe Otohan Thull’s sword Ishta off Orym in the dead of night at the behest of her warlock patron, Delilah Briarwood. The Vox Machina villain’s long-standing influence over Laudna has been an ongoing source of distress between Imogen and Laudna, and this came to a head in Campaign 3, Episode 95: “The Gathering of Needs” and its aftermath.

Prior to embracing their romantic interest in one another, Imogen and Laudna suffered a major setback in their friendship when Delilah directed Laudna to crush Imogen’s gnarlrock shard. The infamous “you lied” scene in Episode 23 was followed by several episodes of Imogen giving Laudna the cold shoulder. Themes of that argument and Imogen’s uneasy relationship with her mother were aroused by Laudna’s recent indiscretion, threatening the romance that has since blossomed between the witches.

In the wake of Swordgate, Laudna referred to herself as a “dead end” and Imogen solemnly remarked, “I’m gonna miss our little cottage”. This hypothetical domicile was once touted as the post-adventuring daydream shared between Imogen and Laudna. With this allusion to no longer envisioning a future with Laudna, fans conjectured that Imogen had subtly broken up with her undead paramour. On a follow-up episode of 4-Sided Dive, Laura Bailey neither confirmed nor denied whether the pair had officially split but remarked that she was surprised by the nebulous nature of that post-Swordgate conversation.

RELATED: Brennan Lee Mulligan Delivered a Shocking Cliffhanger at Critical Role’s Live Show

Imogen Officially Set Her Relationship Status to “It’s Complicated”

Though Bailey had already cast an air of uncertainty over Imodna’s romantic prospects on 4-Sided Dive, Critical Role’s recent live show canonized their complicated relationship status. As Sam Riegel’s new player character Braius Doomseed boldly made his intent to run through the Bells Hells evident, he directly inquired into Imogen’s availability. When the sorceress replied that she was no longer sure whether or not she was single, the live audience erupted. Laudna player character Marisha Ray reflected the crowd’s distress herself, physically reeling at Imogen’s answer.

And that’s whether Imogen and Laudna are broken up in Critical Role. If you’re looking for more, check out the reveal of how old Ludinus Da’leth is.

Brennan Lee Mulligan left The Greek Theater shellshocked when he stepped behind Matthew Mercer’s Dungeon Master screen in the final moments of Critical Role’s recent live episode. Mulligan set the stage to unearth Exandrian lore by reprising his role as the herald of the Calamity.

When the beloved Dimension 20 creator was announced as the (game) master of ceremonies for Campaign 3, Episode 98, many Critical Role fans suspected his involvement would transcend opening remarks. Considering Daniel Sloss’ fatally record-setting cameo as Aggy in the Mighty Nein’s 2023 Wembley Arena reunion, a similar guest star moment for Mulligan appeared in the cards for the Bells Hells live audience. But Mercer and Mulligan had a more significant twist up their sleeves than anticipated.

At the end of Episode 98, Bells Hells’ villain Ludnius Da’leth led the wary and battle-worn heroes deep into the bowels of Aeor. There the mage unveiled the nature of his work with the Occultus Thalamus, and its role in his ongoing effort to unseat the Gods of Exandria. Ludinus disclosed that he could now access and broadcast a pre-Calamity memory preserved within Aeor’s ruins that would unequivocally validate his crusade. As the Bells Hells were transported into this projection of the past, Mulligan swapped in for Mercer to deliver a chilling speech and welcome audiences back into The Age of Arcanum.

In 2022, Mulligan helmed the Critical Role prequel Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, an emotionally devastating mini-campaign that opened with the word “fire”. After the live show audience quelled, Mulligan began his narration with “light” to emphasize the shift into a pre-Calamity Exandria. Much like when Aabria Iyengar took over for Mercer to catch audiences up on the tragic misadventures of Exandria Unlimited‘s Crown Keepers, Mulligan’s overture epitomizes Critical Role‘s current era of expansive worldbuilding.

Not only were Iyengar and Mulligan invited into the Exandrian sandbox in their respective mini-campaigns, but their voices became representative of those aspects of the show’s lore. Iyengar returning to delightfully torment her Crown Keepers and Mulligan guiding players through the final act of another pre-Calamity floating city adds an enriching continuity to Critical Role‘s narrative and emphasizes an unparalleled commitment to collaborative storytelling.

Though it’s suspected that Mulligan will return to DM Campaign 3, Episode 99, it’s yet to be officially confirmed by the Critical Role team. Based on the precedent set by Iyengar, many fans are anticipating a one to two-episode run from Mulligan.

Honorable Mentions

From Squaresville to Studville TV, YouTube became home to a host of scripted content for those who felt left out of traditional television narratives. Though the following list fondly reminiscences on the platforms tentpole classics, plenty of new and old YouTube series like Besties, Easy Abby, Control, Flunk, Falling for Angels, Queering, Neighbors, Til Lease Do Us Part, The Filth, Queer-ious, Couple-ish, and Love @ First Night deserve shoutouts. Husbands, another series emblematic of the earlier era of queer web series, is no longer readily available to stream online, whereas similar classics like Paper Boys, Hunting Season and The Outs have predominantly moved off the YouTube platform.   

With one exception, the majority of the titles explored on this list are scripted, though YouTube has always made an ideal home for vlogs, chat series, and video podcasts exploring queer culture and topics. Drag content has particularly thrived on YouTube with dedicated channels like Hey Qween and World of Wonder Presents, home of Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova’s popular series UNHhhh. Chat and non-scripted content on YouTube includes a vast range of shows like Queerpiphany, Gay of Thrones, Las Culturistas, Tales from the Closet, and Watcha Packin’. Of course, the class of creators that defined the peak YouTuber era included an array folks outspoken on LGBTQIA+ issues such as Hannah Hart, Tyler Oakley, and Miles McKenna, and the platform’s current landscape remains ripe with queer talent.

5. Dragula, Season 1

Witness the underground origins of RuPaul’s Drag Race’s goth cousin, Dragula. Since its debut on the Hey Qween, Dragula has ballooned into a cult sensation, particularly among horror-loving queers. From the jump, Dragula has always pushed the boundaries and barriers of drag as an art form, all the while dousing its contestants in blood and insects. The season that launched the alternative drag franchise is still available to re-animate on Hey Qween’s YouTube channel.

4. Helluva Boss

Currently airing the second half of its second season, Helluva Boss (and its flagship franchise, Hazbin Hotel) makes a unique contribution to this list. While the animated series’ handling of queer narratives and overall style can often be polarizing to audiences, there’s no denying that the series made a definitive mark on the YouTube landscape. Despite its recency, Helluva Boss’ Tumblr/DeviantArt pastiche and South Park-esque irreverence make it feel at home among its older list-mates.

3. Carmilla

Nothing screamed early 2010s quite like vlog-style scripted adaptations of public domain literature. From The Lizzie Bennett Diaries to Classic Alice, the comforting formula of these series drew in reliable YouTube viewership. But Carmilla’s coven of sapphic vampirism transcended the genre. The show’s popularity drew traditional media stars like Veronica Mars’ Enrico Colantoni in later seasons and even saw a feature-length follow-up.

As with channels like Hey Qween and SlayTV, Carmilla’s home of KindaTV (Vervegirl at the time) became a hotspot for sapphic stories, featuring another vlog retelling in Three Musketeers adaptation All for One. The wider Kinda-verse boasts a bevy of bingeable series like Slo Pitch, Barbelle, and Gay Mean Girls.

2. The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo

The crafty joke writing, unforgettable delivery, and larger-than-life characters of The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo make the Brian Jordan Alvarez sitcom an infinitely quotable and rewatchable classic. Much like Alvarez’s sketch comedy, Caleb Gallo emanates a unique charm and unconventional pace. In its modestly budgeted 5-episode run, The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo achieved a level of iconography many studio-backed shows can only dream of, proving Freckle’s thesis that “sometimes things that are expensive are worse”.

1. Her Story

Her Story wields its revisitability like a double-edged sword because part of what makes it such a fulfilling well to return to is the fact that there are so few examples of trans stories like it in traditional media. There’s a lament in the notion that seldom opportunities have come along for trans creators to candidly share stories on their terms like Jen Richards did in her 2016 series (though, hopefully, that needle’s beginning to move).

That being said, it’s likely that Her Story‘s well-balanced ensemble and equal parts honest and hopeful tone would make a lovely revisit regardless of the pitfalls of the greater media landscape.

Honorable Mentions

Before delving into the top five sketches of the season, it’s worth reflecting on SNL’s 49^th entry which saw hosting turns from the contentious Shane Gillis, the beloved Ryan Gosling, and returning alums Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig, and Maya Rudolph. Though Rudolph’s Mother’s Day monologue quickly became a fan favorite moment of the season, host monologues, Weekend Updates, and cut-for-time sketches (which, bafflingly, includes Gosling’s “Papyrus 2”) won’t be factored into the following list of SNL Season 49 sketches.

Moments like the Dune popcorn bucket song and Molly Kearney’s Kevin James meme recreation were largely ridiculed for their belated attempt to jump onto a social media bandwagon, but other middling sketches were elevated by hilarious performances. Honorable mentions along these lines include Ayo Edebiri’s bisexual schoolboy Solomon, Ramy Youssef growing self-conscious during a night out with Travis Scott and Please Don’t Destroy, and Rudolph reprising her role as Beyonce on Hot Ones.

Other hits from SNL’s latest run included a PSA about pranking senior citizens for TikTok clout, Timothée Chalamet’s stirring tiny horse ballad, and Emma Stone’s creative vision for the song “Make Your Own Kind of Music”. Dual host and musical guest Bad Bunny and returning alum Fred Armisen broke ground in “Age of Discovery,” a sketch performed entirely in Spanish. Andrew Dismukes found himself at the center of many of the season’s highlights, from craning his neck to watch Ad Astra over Josh Brolin’s shoulder to keeping proposal-related secrets for Gosling and Gyllenhaal. Season 49 likewise delivered fresh impressions such as Bowen Yang’s George Santos, Devon Walker’s Tim Scott and Draymond Green, and even Chalamet’s Martin Scorsese.

Though Saturday Night Live‘s foundation is found in the world of current events, its best sketch moments are often found in its deviations from contemporary politics and pop culture. Here are the five Season 49 sketches that kept audiences laughing long after Saturday night.

The Best Sketches of Saturday Night Live Season 49

“Close Encounter”

Saturday Night Live fans nostalgic for the Kate McKinnon got a double dose of the former cast member in Season 49. Not only did McKinnon host Episode 8, but she reprised her foul-mouthed Miss Rafferty in another extraterrestrial installment of “Close Encounters” during the cold open of Gosling’s Episode 17. “Close Encounters” offered a refreshing change of pace from the run of the mill election season introductions and set an expectation for an episode rife with Gosling’s delightful fits of laughter. The host even broke the fourth wall to establish that he was outfitted in the same exact gear he was last abducted and subsequently manhandled by McKinnon in back in 2017.

“Lisa from Temecula: Sports Bar”

Ego Nwodim’s Earth-shaking, cast-breaking Lisa from Temecula returned to the table in the Brolin-hosted Episode 14 to give her two cents on gratuity (though, naturally, she pronounced it like Ratatouille). Much like Lisa herself, Nwodim’s nothing short of a force of nature on Saturday Night Live and left the entire cast in stitches. Despite two attempts to launch Heidi Gardner’s chaotic secretary character Trudy in SNL Season 49, Lisa remained the reigning queen of SNL set destruction.

“Beavis and Butt-Head”

Cast breaking has been a salient thread throughout the top sketches of Saturday Night Live‘s 49th season, and no one broke quite as completely as Gardner in “Beavis and Butt-Head”. Another entry in Gosling’s Episode 17, the sketch saw himself and Mikey Day delightfully distract as Beavis and Butt-Head lookalikes attending a NewsNation interview about artificial intelligence. The virality of this sketch extended its tendrils outside of Studio 8H, with Gosling and Day reprising the look for a Fall Guy red carpet event.

“Jumanji”

Episode 16 host Wiig put her foot down during a proposed game night in “Jumanji”, a sketch which repeated the name of the Robin Williams’ film so often that it began to lose any meaning. Though Wiig’s Jumanji-inspired board game caution was undoubtedly hilarious, Dismukes’ heated rebuttal about the film’s logic sent the sketch over the edge. Conductor Will Forte helped close out the hilarious affair, saving his former SNL colleague from Alan Parrish’s fate.

“Washington’s Dream”

First-time host Nate Bargatze found himself as General George Washington in Saturday Night Live‘s best sketch of Season 49. Rather than bloviate about lofty ideals like freedom and liberty, Washington honed in on a more specific dream for America’s future, one of nonsensical contradictions in measurement, spelling, and even sports. Bargatze was a fitting host to tackle “Washington’s Dream” as it meshed well with the tone and cadence found in his stand-up comedy.