Say goodbye to the Upside Down 🙃
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Brian Truitt, USA TODAYJanuary 2, 2026 at 11:51 PM
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Happy New Year, fam! And see you later to the heroic Hawkins kids.
After much anticipation – and following nine years and a final season over three different holidays – Netflix's "Stranger Things" is streaming its concluding episode. Check that out in the last gasp of your holiday break, and/or tick off a few more items from our mega holiday streaming movie guide. And for movie theater devotees, "Marty Supreme" is the coolest thing at the cinema, with some fun folks in the film to support Timothée Chalamet's ping-pong high jinks.
Here's wishing all our Watch Party crew a healthy and entertaining 2026. Now on to the good stuff:
Stream the harrowing final episode of Netflix's 'Stranger Things'
Young heroes battled the evil Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) one last time in the "Stranger Things" series finale.
The end is here! The young heroes of Hawkins, Indiana, hatched an ambitious plan to keep the evil Vecna from crashing another world into ours, leading to one blockbuster-y climactic battle in the "Stranger Things" finale (streaming now on Netflix). My bud Patrick Ryan talked with star Noah Schnapp about the movie-length final episode and Schnapp thought it was a "perfect" ending. It's "a story of what the whole show was," the actor says. "It's like a proper goodbye to our childhoods."
TV critic Kelly Lawler has a recap of everything that went down in the show's last hurrah, plus a rundown of who dies (and who might've, depending on your perspective). And is this really the final trip to the Upside Down? Brendan Morrow writes about how the show could expand with two planned spinoff series.
See Kevin O'Leary, Odessa A'zion impress in 'Marty Supreme'
Odessa A'zion plays a pregnant young woman who gets involved in the main character's various schemes in "Marty Supreme."
The only thing that might be better than Timothée Chalamet's table tennis skills in "Marty Supreme" is the sports movie's intriguing supporting cast, which features everyone from rapper Tyler, The Creator to NBA legend George Gervin. The best is Kevin O'Leary, aka "Mr. Wonderful" from "Shark Tank," who plays businessman antagonist to Chalamet's wannabe ping-pong champ. O'Leary chatted with Patrick about taking a paddle to Chalamet's bare bottom and finding himself in his character. On paper, he says, “I really didn’t like Marty, so it was very easy to beat him up.”
"Marty" also was part of a standout year for Odessa A'zion, who plays the title character's pregnant (and married) girlfriend. The "I Love LA" star talked with Patrick about her scene-stealing role opposite Timmy C and how acting is her therapy. She says it allows her “to access all the emotions you might suppress in real life, and let it out in a way that is safe and welcome."
Look back on the best movies and TV of 2025
Smoke (Michael B. Jordan, center), flanked by brother Stack (also Jordan) and pal Cornbread (Omar Miller), is wary of uninvited guests in the period horror film "Sinners."
Before we leave 2025 in the rear-view mirror, it's time to look back one more time on the great stuff it gave us. "The Life of Chuck" was my best movie of the year, but there were plenty of noteworthy flicks in my top 10, including the aforementioned "Marty Supreme," Ryan Coogler's genre-defying horror movie "Sinners" and the Shakespearean drama "Hamnet." And Kelly has a pretty darn good top 10 TV show list, too, topped by medical drama "The Pitt" and "Star Wars" series "Andor."
Our USA TODAY entertainment squad also put together a little list of favorite individual performances of the year across various mediums. I shout out Josh O'Connor in "Wake Up Dead Man" while other colleagues honor Amy Madigan, Jimmy Kimmel and Nicholas Hoult.
Even more goodness to check out! -
The first big awards show of 2026 is this weekend! Here's what you going into Sunday's Critics Choice Awards.
Meet Noah and Jacobi Jupe, the real-life siblings and "Hamnet" stars who are really into lightsabers and "Mario Kart."
Fun fact: Gwyneth Paltrow hasn't read her reviews since she was 22.
Another fun fact: Jamie Lee Curtis' mom didn't let her audition for "The Exorcist."
Kate Winslet reveals the intimate experiences she had as a teen helped her for "Heavenly Creatures."
And are you ready for the "Malcolm in the Middle" reboot? Here's a trailer.
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email [email protected] and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to watch this weekend – 'Stranger Things,' 'Marty Supreme'
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