The OnePlus 13 Is Already $150 Off for Black Friday

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

The OnePlus 13 isn’t just competing with flagship phones. It’s quietly undercutting them. At $699 for the unlocked 512GB Arctic Dawn model, down from $849, it’s currently at its lowest price according to price trackers, making a strong case for itself if you’ve been eyeing an Android phone with top-tier specs without crossing the $1,000 threshold.

OnePlus 13,16GB RAM + 512GB Storage

$699.99 at Amazon

$849.99 Save $150.00

$699.99 at Amazon

$849.99 Save $150.00

It runs on the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip with 16GB RAM, includes a massive 6.82-inch ProXDR OLED display that stays readable even in direct sunlight, and delivers all-day battery life. Add in 80W wired charging (with the charger actually in the box) and a surprisingly premium build with IP68/IP69 protection, and you start to wonder why this phone isn’t getting more buzz. It also supports wireless charging, but you’ll need to buy OnePlus’ AirVOOC charger separately, notes this PCMag review.

Performance-wise, it holds its own. Whether you’re juggling dozens of apps or pushing it with demanding games, the OnePlus 13 barely breaks a sweat. Plus, its 120Hz refresh rate makes everyday scrolling feel extra smooth. On the connectivity side, you get wifi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 5.4, and support for advanced audio codecs like LDAC and LHDC 5.0, which is great news for wireless headphone users. 

OnePlus’ ongoing collaboration with Hasselblad anchors the camera setup of the OnePlus 13, and this year, all three rear lenses are 50MP—main, telephoto, and ultra-wide. Color reproduction leans natural, not oversaturated, which is great if you prefer photos that don’t need major editing.

Software updates won’t go as long as Pixel or Galaxy phones, which might be a dealbreaker if you plan to keep your phone for years. And it doesn’t have a microSD card slot, so the 512GB you get is all you’ll have. But if you want top-tier performance, clean design, and unbeatable battery life for the price, the OnePlus 13 is one of the best values out there right now.

---

Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now

Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $219.99 (List Price $249.00)

Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00)

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99)

Sony WH-1000XM5 — $248.00 (List Price $399.99)

Blink Outdoor 4 1080p Wireless Security Camera (5-Pack) — $159.99 (List Price $399.99)

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $24.99 (List Price $49.99)

NEW Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones — $298.00

from News https://ift.tt/yUIkMSb
via IFTTT

You Should Motivate Yourself With a 'Jar of Awesome'

When you’re taking stock of what you’ve accomplished, it’s easy—and understandable—to get caught up by what you haven’t done or wish you'd done better. After all, that's how you'll improve. But you have to remember to recognize wins big and small if you hope to keep yourself motivated.

The balance between positive and negative as it relates to productivity is delicate, but you do always need to take breaks, do things you enjoy, and remember that you’re getting things done, even during stressful times. That's why you should try creating a “jar of awesome." 

What is a “jar of awesome?” 

The “jar of awesome” idea comes from Tim Ferriss’ Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers and it’s been popular for some time. Essentially, Ferriss recommends writing your wins down as they occur and putting the slips of paper into a jar. When you need a motivational boost, you can read through them. Visually, the jar even shows you just how much you have accomplished lately. 

The idea is to help you focus not just on everything that needs to get done, but on what you’ve already done. It’s similar to keeping an accomplishment journal or updating your resume annually, even when you’re not job-hunting, in that it both motivates you and creates a record of your work. Crucially, it keeps that record in real time. It's much harder to remember everything you've accomplished if you try to do it retrospectively or under duress (as anyone confronted with filling out a year-end performance review knows well). With the jar of awesome, if you’re ever called into a surprise meeting about your work or have a review looming, you already have a list of your accomplishments ready to go. 

Ways to create your own “jar of awesome” 

Actually filling a jar with little scraps of paper is a touch twee and may not be that easy to keep up with when our lifestyles are so increasingly digital. There are plenty of ways to create a “jar” of awesome that don’t involve making your desk look like a Pinterest-inspired 2013 wedding. Try leaving a page or two dedicated to tracking wins in the back of your planner or creating a designated note on your phone. Create a single source of truth (SSOT) or a file on your computer or drive, dedicated to compiling your list of wins and supporting documentation. (Personally, I'm a big on using a notes app. My list of wins lives on my phone, where I can update it in a matter of seconds.)

However you decide to do it, make sure all of the successes are listed somewhere together so the list grows visually. Just glancing at it can be a motivational push, to say nothing of reading through it all. Finally, don’t second-guess yourself when you want to add something. If you picked up the dry cleaning on a stressful day, got all the kids out of the house on time in the morning, or responded to all your emails by the end of the day and it felt good, throw it in. Just because it might seem small in comparison to a big looming project deadline doesn’t mean it wasn’t a win to get it done, so into the jar it goes. The goal is to keep track of just how much you really do accomplish, so don’t leave anything out.

Finally, build your reviews into other elements of your productivity plan. When you're making SMART goals, for instance,—clearly defining what you want to do, why you want to do it, and when you need it done by—it's easy to look to past mistakes to see what you need to correct. At the same time, look back on your jar of awesome to see what's been working for you, so you can incorporate more of those elements into your future planning too.

from News https://ift.tt/G8OBX54
via IFTTT

Google’s Pick for the Best App of the Year Helps You Use Your Phone Less

As it does every year, Google has picked its favorite apps, games, and books of 2025 from the Play Store catalog—and the annual selection is always useful as a pointer towards some high-quality titles for your Android devices that you may have missed so far.

Topping the pile is Focus Friend from YouTuber Hank Green, which aims to keep you on task and undistracted via a series of cutesy animations and cartoon living spaces. The less you check your phone, the better the experience for your 'bean' inside the app.

It's an app we've written about before, and I've given it a go myself while trying to focus on writing this article with as few distractions as possible. I've also cast an eye over the other picks from Google, which you may want to add to your phone or tablet.

Focus Friend really does help you focus

I'd previously heard a bit of buzz around Focus Friend, but it being picked as Google's favorite Play Store app of the year gave me the nudge I needed to actually install it and give it a go. It's been earning some rave reviews, but it's not actually all that different to the many other focus apps available on mobile.

This one does ramp up the cartoon cuteness, giving you your own personal bean character who will get busy knitting as long as you're not checking other apps on your phone. You can trade the socks that get knitted for a variety of furnishings and decorations for the bean's living space, which starts off very bare indeed.

Focus Friend is built around a timer system. Credit: Lifehacker

It's a well-implemented app that's straightforward and fun to use, and I found it did encourage me to pick up my phone less. There's a pro version—yours for $2 a month—which unlocks access to more items for your bean to knit and more decorations for the surrounding room.

I like that you don't even have to sign up for an account to use the app (a constant bind if you write about tech and apps all day), and there's a decent amount of customization here—you've got sound effects and music you can turn on and off, the option to actually block other apps, and a lock screen mode to make use of.

The app offers a variety of customization options. Credit: Lifehacker

Your mileage may vary depending on how taken you are with the bean character and the various items you can get to kit out its room. This is essentially just a stopwatch with a lot of nice dressing around it, and you can get much the same effect by starting a timer on your phone—without worrying about hurting the feelings of an imaginary bean.

It's a good pick by Google, but it's also fair to say there are lots of similar apps out there. I actually prefer Forest (for Android or iOS), which grows a little forest for you rather than having a bean knit socks, but my favorite app of this type is Focus Traveller (only available on iOS, sadly for Android users) that turns your focus sessions into cross-country hikes.

More apps, games, and ebooks

There's plenty more in Google's list besides Focus Friend—and I'll confess I haven't used many of these apps or games. The best multi-device app award goes to Luminar, a comprehensive photo editing tool that's packed with tools (and AI, as you would expect). The interface adapts really well across devices, including foldables and Chromebooks.

The other apps that made the list are Instagram app Edits (best for fun), audiobook summarizer Wiser (best everyday essential), language tutor Pingo AI (best hidden gem), kids learning game ABCmouse 2 (best for families), sleep alarm SleepisolBio (best for watches), note taker Goodnotes (best for large screens), audio app SoundCloud (best for cars), and meditation app Calm (best for XR headsets).

Luminar is the best multi-device app of the year. Credit: Google

When it comes to games, the outright winner was Pokémon TCG Pocket, a digital take on the physical Pokémon card game that lets you collect cards on your Android device and battle with other players across the globe. It's going to have limited appeal outside Pokémon fans, but it's certainly well-designed.

Google's other game picks are combat racer Disney Speedstorm (best multi-device game), streetball game Dunk City Dynasty (best multi-player), card game Candy Crush Solitaire (best pick up and play), puzzle adventure Chants of Sennaar (best indie), interactive detective story Disco Elysium (best story), open-world RPG Wuthering Waves (best ongoing), dark fishing adventure Dredge (best on Play Pass), and Norse mythology MMORPG Odin: Valhalla Rising (best for Google Play Games on PC).

Disney Speedstorm is the best multi-device game. Credit: Google

There's a lot to choose from when it comes to ebooks and audiobooks, too, with 17 titles across fiction, non-fiction, and reads for younger people: from fantasy tale "The Raven Scholar" by Antonia Hodgson, to historical fiction title "Herod the Great" by Zora Neal Hurson. You can find the full list here.

As for iOS, at the time I'm writing this article Apple has announced a shortlist for the 2025 App Store Awards, but we don't have the final winners yet.

from News https://ift.tt/RsuKk5X
via IFTTT

The Best Cordless Tools Already on Sale at Home Depot for Black Friday

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Black Friday deals used to be relegated to the day after Thanksgiving. These days, however, they start much earlier—so why not take advantage? If you’re shopping for gifts for your favorite DIY enthusiast, or you just want to take advantage of deals for your own tool set, now is a good time to start looking. I usually take the opportunity to expand my tool battery collection if there isn’t an exciting new cordless tool I haven’t tried yet around this time of year, and that’s how I have kept a rotating collection of batteries to power all of my carpentry and DIY adventures.

Best deals on cordless drills and drivers

A good-quality drill and driver are the foundation for any DIY home tool set because they allow you to drive screws, nuts, and bolts as well as drilling holes. I use my drill and driver set every day at work, and frequently on my own personal projects at home, and having one that’s reliable, comfortable to use, and has a good battery life is key to getting things done efficiently.

The Milwaukee 18-volt cordless drill set in on sale for $99, 50% off its regular price. It comes with a 2-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag, and it’s a good tool for building a new cordless kit or to replace an existing Milwaukee drill. Since batteries are often the most expensive part of a cordless tool set, a quality set that comes with a battery and charger for under $100 is a good deal.

The Milwaukee 18-volt cordless quarter-inch impact driver set is also on sale for $99, 50% off its typical price. This set comes with a 2-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag. This is a good companion to a Milwaukee drill, and a good addition to a tool set that uses 18-volt Milwaukee batteries—it can drive fasteners with more force than a regular drill, and can help you get through tougher materials like 2x4s more easily.

A Ryobi 18-volt cordless drill set with three batteries is on sale for $148.97, 44% off its usual price. This set is an excellent starter set because it comes with a 1.5-amp-hour battery, 1 2-amp-hour battery, and a 4-amp-hour battery as well as a charger. It’s helpful to start a cordless tool set with extra batteries so you can expand your tool kit as you develop your skills and interest without needing to buy new batteries as you go.

Best deals on cordless saws and cutting tools

Saws are my favorite part of my tool collection, and having the right one can make any DIY project that much simpler and more fun to work on. Cordless saws have improved as batteries have gotten smaller and lighter as well as developing a longer battery life, so they’re a practical addition to a DIY tool kit—in addition to being fun to use.

The Ryobi 18-volt cordless reciprocating saw set is on sale for $99, 65% off its regular price. A reciprocating saw can be used for making rough cuts and trimming trees and shrubs. This set comes with a reciprocating saw, a two-amp-hour battery, a 4-amp-hour battery, and a charger. This is a good tool for someone who already uses Ryobi 18-volt tools, or for someone who likes doing outdoor projects like trimming hedges.

Ryobi 18-volt cordless reciprocating saw set

$99.00 at Home Depot

$282.94 Save $183.94

$99.00 at Home Depot

$282.94 Save $183.94

The Milwaukee 18-volt reciprocating saw is on sale for $199, 68% off its usual price. This is a good tool to add to an 18-volt Milwaukee set, or to begin a yard care and landscaping set. It comes with the saw, two 5-amp-hour batteries, and a charger.

The Milwaukee 18-volt, 6 ½-inch cordless circular saw is on sale for $199, 62% off its regular price. This saw comes with two 5-amp-hour batteries and a charger. The larger capacity batteries allow you to use your saw for hours while always having a fresh battery on the charger.

The Ryobi 18-volt cordless 7 ¼-inch compound miter saw is on sale for $159, 52% off its regular price. This saw can cut compound angles for trim and woodworking projects without needing to be plugged into an outlet. It comes with a 4-amp-hour battery and charger, which makes it a good addition to a Ryobi cordless tool set, as it can make up to 900 cuts per charge on the battery. Although this saw says it can cut up to 900 times a charge, if you’re working with material thicker than about a quarter of an inch, you’ll want to get a second battery so you can swap them out—in my experience, it can draw more power cutting denser or thicker wood.

The Milwaukee 18-volt oscillating multitool set is on sale for $99, 50% off its regular price. It comes with a 1.5-amp-hour battery and a charger. This is the tool that saved my sanity when I was replacing the trap on the sink in my 115-year-old craftsman house. I used it to cut the old pipe, shape the pipe coming out from the wall, trim the new PVC to the correct length, trim out the damaged plaster around the leaking drain, trim out the lath to allow the new trap through, and then I even used it to sand the joints in the plaster repair I made. It’s the hardest-working tool in my home DIY set, and $99 is a great price for it.

Best deals on cordless tool combo sets

Cordless tool sets can be a good way to start a new tool set because they usually come with all the basics as well as a few interesting extras. I started my personal tool kit with an 18-volt Milwaukee set over a decade ago and I also use tools from a DeWalt set at work daily.

The Milwaukee 18-volt seven-tool combo set is on sale for $500, 50% off its regular price. It comes with a drill, an impact driver, a circular saw, a one-handed compact reciprocating saw, an oscillating multitoo, an angle-grinder, a work light, two 3-amp-hour batteries, a charger, and a tool bag. This is a comprehensive set that will allow you to tackle most home DIY projects and even some professional level ones as well.

The DeWalt three-tool combo set is on sale for $399, 33% off its regular price. This set comes with a drill, a driver, an oscillating multitool, two 6-amp-hour batteries, a charger, and a tool bag. This is a solid set for most home maintenance projects and the batteries will last a long time and stand up to abuse. I use this set at work, these tools are going strong after years of use.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now

Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $219.99 (List Price $249.00)

Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.99 (List Price $349.00)

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99)

Sony WH-1000XM5

from News https://ift.tt/Bb7rLZP
via IFTTT

Watch Out for These Health Insurance Scams During Open Enrollment

Many Americans are in the middle of making hard decisions about their health insurance, in part because open enrollment, the period in which consumers can change their plan, is happening now. That means scammers are also busy contacting people, impersonating insurance providers in an effort to collect personal, financial, and medical information.

Common health insurance scams

Fraudsters especially love to impersonate representatives from Medicare, targeting older adults and others who qualify for the federal program with unexpected calls. As the Federal Trade Commission warns, scammers may have some of your personal information already and will ask you to confirm your Medicare, bank account, and/or credit card number under the guise of sending you a new Medicare card. In reality, Medicare cards are free and sent automatically, so you should never need to provide payment.

Scammers may also target consumers on Marketplace, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) plans with a similar tactic, claiming that you may lose or be disqualified from health coverage unless you make a payment.

In addition to impersonating government officials, bad actors will pretend to represent a legitimate insurer, promising discounted plans (that are available only for a limited time) or enrollment assistance (for a fee). Plans that seem too good to be true probably aren't health insurance at all and may not provide the coverage promised. And you shouldn't have to pay anyone to sign up for a plan.

Note that while scammers may ramp up efforts during open enrollment, health insurance scams can happen year-round. A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) advisory warns consumers about common tactics like calls and texts in which scammers—impersonating government agencies or insurance companies—offer health screening, free gifts, or other promotional benefits in exchange for your personal information.

Bad actors can pretty easily spoof phone numbers (so it looks like you're getting a call from a reputable insurance provider like Medicare or Blue Cross Blue Shield) as well as set up phishing websites designed to steal your credentials and financial information.

Insurance scam red flags

As always, unsolicited communication that pressures you to take action is almost always a scam. Medicare representatives will never call, email, or text you to verify information or demand payment, nor will legitimate government officials try to sell you anything or threaten you unless you pay up. If someone claims they represent an insurer and asks for money or sensitive personal information, or if they threaten you with legal action, hang up.

Don't share any data, including your social security number, bank account number, or medical history with anyone—that is, unless you have contacted the Medicare office or other legitimate agency directly and first and need to verify your identity. (The number for Medicare is 1-800-MEDICARE, and you can reach a Marketplace representative through HealthCare.gov).

Always verify a representative's identity using official contact information found on a .gov website, legitimate company page, or an account statement, and never send money via gift card, prepaid debit, or crytocurrency in exchange for anything. You should also ensure your credentials for your insurance accounts (like HealthCare.gov and Medicare.gov) are strong and secure, and enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible.

from News https://ift.tt/DPduerH
via IFTTT

How a ‘To-Don’t’ List Can Actually Help You Be More Productive

You’ve heard of a to-do list, but what you might actually need is a to-don’t list. Instead of focusing on all the tasks you have to get done, it could be beneficial for you to look at everything you don’t need to or even shouldn’t do in service of your larger goal. It sounds like a waste of time, but it’s not: Seeing clearly what shouldn’t be taking up your attention is a simple way to prioritize your time and focus on what really matters, which will lead to enhanced productivity and output. There are two kinds of to-don’t lists to employ.

To-don’t 1: Bad habits

The first kind of to-don’t list you should make is one of bad habits you want to avoid. This is all about goal-setting and is more of a plan you should adopt for your life overall if you want to improve it generally, not a technique to employ when you have a specific goal in mind (which the second kind of to-don't list, below, is better suited to). The habits that hold you back can be obvious to you or you may not realize some of them, but once you get started writing them down, more will come.

Some suggestions are these:

• Don’t sleep more or less than you’re supposed to, meaning you go to bed on time and don’t hit snooze in the morning.

• Don’t put off answering emails.

• Don’t skip breaks or lunch.

• Don’t save all your work until right before it’s due or you need to leave work.

• Don’t work all day and night without setting boundaries for when you’re off.

As you make your list, you’ll discover the trouble areas you’re facing. Set aside a time, say every Monday morning, to review and update your list, tracking the progress you made on not doing those things last week, removing any that you’ve overcome, and adding new trouble spots that you’ve run into. As simple as it seems, having it all written down gives you a roadmap and something concrete to focus on while you blast through the bad habits.

If you are struggling to identify the broad, bad habits that might be holding you back, you need data. Writing down a few ideas every week may not be enough. In that case, try conducting after-action reviews at the end of each day, jotting down what went well, what didn't go well, and how you'd like to retool your efforts going forward. It will take a few days or weeks of data collection, but you will start to see patterns emerging, and you can take action on them.

To-don’t 2: Tasks you don’t need to do

A lot of productivity methods focus on what you, specifically, need to contribute to your workplace, team, or various responsibilities, but some of the best ones also leave space for you to delegate tasks to others. Saying “no” to requests or new tasks that you don’t have the capacity for or there’s no reason for you to be the one to do is a special talent we should all cultivate a little better. One way to do that is to keep a list of the tasks you aren’t touching.

Consider making a list that includes things like the following so you can set clear boundaries and stick to them:

• Don’t pick up other people’s responsibilities on a group project.

• Don’t follow up with someone who is refusing to communicate.

• Don’t waste time on emails unlikely to get a response.

• Don’t schedule everyone’s work for them.

• Don’t agree to new elements of a project until existing tasks are handled.

Keeping a real record of the things you are drawing a line in the sand about will help you actually stick to that line. It also helps to have and idea of what you’ll say if and when someone asks you to do something on your to-don’t list. Thanks to the existence of the list, you can simply say, “I appreciate you thinking of me for this, but I don’t have space for that right now in my current schedule. I’ll let you know when I’m done with the things I need to do.”

Once you have your lists compiled, refer to them. Keep them somewhere you’ll see them, like next to your computer or in a note on your phone, and let the power of writing down what you’re not going to do guide you as you tackle the actual to-do list.

There is another element to this kind of to-don't list, however. Yes, there are tasks you can delegate or avoid in a group setting, but there are also tasks you yourself can just disregard, whether at work or in your personal goals. To figure out what they are, you need to prioritize everything you have to do (or think you have to do). There are a few simple ways to do this: You can make an ABC list or opt for the more objective Eisenhower matrix. At the end, you'll see some tasks are neither urgent nor important. Those become your to-don'ts. In a hustle-focused, fast-paced world, it can be hard to remember that sometimes, you just don't have to do something. Banishing unnecessary tasks from your schedule can help keep you focused and productive, even if it's a hard habit to start.

from News https://ift.tt/InlDZuQ
via IFTTT

The 25 Best Apple TV+ Original Movies Everyone Should Watch

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Though relatively new on the Hollywood scene (its first movie was released in 2019), Apple TV+'s slate of original films already includes everything from charming indies, to blockbuster fare, to award-winning prestige pictures. It was even the first streamer to win the Best Picture Oscar, for 2021's CODA.

Below, you'll find a sampling of the studio's best offerings so far, with something for every viewer. You might be excused for thinking many of them were typical theatrical releases—and some did hit theaters first—but strictly speaking, they are all Apple TV+ originals.

All of You (2025)

In the not-too-distant future, Soul Connex claims that it can match you with your one true love. This Black Mirror-esque premise finds Laura (Imogen Poots) signing up and taking the test with the reluctant encouragement of her college bestie, Simon (Ted Lasso's Brett Goldstein, also the co-writer). Matched with a guy named Lukas, she eventually marries and starts a family with her soulmate, but Simon never quite gets over his feelings for Laura. And, as years go by, Laura begins to wonder about the road not taken. It's not required homework, but the movie is something of a spin-off of the short-lived 2020 series Soulmates, an anthology of stories set in the same fictional world; All of You takes the same core premise in a new direction. Stream All of You.

All of You (2025)

---

Highest 2 Lowest (2025)

Spike Lee is a certified cinematic genius, but it seems he makes the kinds of movies that don't play in theaters anymore. His previous release, the war epic Da 5 Bloods, went straight to Netflix five years ago, and this new one, a remake of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's noir-influenced High and Low, dropped on Apple TV+ after a cursory theatrical run. I'm not sure what it says about the state of the film industry that one of our best directors, paired with one of our most bankable stars in Denzel Washington, can't command a wide release, but here we are. Wherever you watch it, the film is a corker. Washington plays David King, a music mogul who receives a call from kidnappers who claim to have his son. King moves heaven and Earth to collect the millions he'll ned to pay the ransom—only to discover that there's been a mix-up, and the kidnappers actually have taken the son of his driver (Jeffrey Wright). King has to decide: Is saving the chauffeur's kid worth it? It's based on a 1959 Ed McBain novel, and after two adaptations, it's still a compelling premise. Stream Highest 2 Lowest.

Highest 2 Lowest (2025)

---

Fancy Dance (2023)

Lily Gladstone follows up her Oscar-nominated performance in Killers of the Flower Moon with an equally impressive turn from Seneca-Cayuga filmmaker Erica Tremblay, making her feature directorial debut. Gladstone plays Jax, a queer Cayuga woman living on an Oklahoma reservation with her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson). Jax's sister (and Roki's mother) disappeared weeks ago, but neither tribal police nor the FBI are willing to take it seriously, given the family's troubled history. Child protective services tries to place Roki into the custody of her estranged white grandfather and his second wife, an arrangement that neither of the young women is comfortable with. The two set out on a dangerous journey to the tribal powwow in Oklahoma City—the FBI that wouldn't take their concerns seriously before are suddenly very interested in finding the two, who are also forced to evade local law enforcement and even ICE. It's not an entirely joyful narrative, but there is a powerful message about the power of community and family in the face of even the most oppressive external forces. Stream Fancy Dance.

Fancy Dance (2023)

---

The Lost Bus (2025)

The title might not suggest high-tension survival drama, but this film from director Paul Greengrass (United 93, Captain Phillips) is full of harrowing moments. The 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California's Butte County was, and remains, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history, and here we revisit the true story of Kevin McKay (Matthew McConaughey), a down-on-his luck bus driver who reroutes his bus to pick up a bunch of school kids and their teacher (America Ferrera) trapped behind the fire line. McConaughey and Ferrera are great, but the movie excels in its sense of a roadtrip through an initially familiar environment that increasingly comes to feel like a descent into hell. Stream The Lost Bus.

The Lost Bus (2025)

IFTTT

15 Movies and Shows Like 'Pluribus' You Should Watch Next

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan's new series Pluribus has earned a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. It's just an excellent show, featuring an end-of-the-world science fiction story with a wildly inventive apocalypse: instead of zombies or nuclear bombs, Pluribus' world ends with humanity literally coming together. Through a transmission from space, everyone on Earth is melded into a single consciousness, so there's no more conflict or hunger, but there's no more individuality, either. Mysteriously, a handful of people were left out of the great melting, including Carol (Rhea Seehorn) a cynical, hard-drinking writer who refuses to give in to the collective.

The only thing I don't like about Pluribus is that I can't watch all the episodes right now. If you're in the same place, below are 15 movies and TV shows you can watch while you wait for the new episode of Pluribus to drop on Friday.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

If you like fiction where everyone has been taken over by a collective, you have to start with Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The 1950s red scare paranoia-fest created the blueprint that's been followed since. Snatchers is rebooted every few decades, with the pod people representing a different cultural fear—they were communists in the original, "Me Generation" therapy addicts in the 1978 version, and suburban normies and military types in 1993's Body Snatchers—but the core "I'm the only individual left and everyone is out to get me" undercurrent is consistent and fits in perfectly with Pluribus.

Where to stream: Prime, MGM+

Breaking Bad

Vince Gilligan created Pluribus and Breaking Bad, and while the two series are very different on the surface, they share a surprising amount of DNA. Gilligan's gritty "science teacher makes meth" series and his sci-fi "author is the last human on Earth" series both are meticulously plotted but unpredictable stories set in sun-blasted middle-of-nowhere locations where morality is a complicated gray area.

Where to stream: Netflix

Mrs. Davis

We might all be linked together as a hive mind like Pluribus, but Mrs. Davis is evidence that there's something to the idea of a collective consciousness. It was developed at the same time as Pluribus by another famous show creator (Damon Lindelof, father of Lost) and features a similar central plot device: an AI has taken over and everyone on Earth does its bidding in exchange for peace and prosperity. Mrs. Davis feels like a first draft of Pluribus, before the creator decided to make the tone more serious and take out all the goofy claptrap about The Holy Grail.

Where to stream: Peacock

The Leftovers

Like Pluribus, The Leftovers features ordinary people navigating a world-altering catastrophe. The catastrophe in The Leftover is the sudden, inexplicable disappearance of 2% of the world's population. Like Pluribus, the human drama is as important and weighty as the sci-fi premise, and both series are driven by "what does this all mean?" energy.

Where to stream: HBO Max

Children of Men

The gigantic, mysterious event at the center of Pluribus makes the world a better place in a lot of ways, but when women inexplicably become infertile in Children of Men, the result is bleakness and chaos. If you like a combination of action and philosophical questions, watch (or re-watch) Children of Men.

Where to stream: Rent or buy on Prime or YouTube

Black Mirror

Pluribus could be an extended episode of Black Mirror. The British anthology series came out of nowhere in 2011 and captured the world's imagination with its speculative, near-future (usually) sci-fi stories that explore the point where technology meets humanity. Standout episodes for Pluribus fans include S3, E6 "Hated in the Nation," in which Autonomous Drone Insects start murdering people based on a hashtag; S6,E1, "Joan is Awful" with its black comedy vibe and maximum paranoia premise; and S7, E4's "Plaything," in which a nerdy writer's obsession with a 1990s video game sets off a world-altering technological revolution.

Where to stream: Netflix

The Twilight Zone

Pluribus could be also be an extended episode of the original Twilight Zone, a series that used science fiction and fantasy to explore human ethics and morality before most Pluribus fans were born. If you can put up with the stage-like vibe of the show, there are a lot of great episodes that cover the same ground as Pluribus, like S1, E22, "The Monster Are Due on Maple Street," in which a nice suburban community unravels over fear of a alien invasion; and S5, E20, "Stopover in a Quiet Town" a darkly funny episode in which an ordinary couple confronts an all-encompassing mystery. Also, don't miss S1, E21, "Mirror Image." It doesn't have a lot to do with Pluribus, but it's the creepiest, most suspenseful television episode ever made and I think you should watch it.

Where to stream: Tubi, Prime

12 Monkeys

12 Monkeys pairs perfectly with Pluribus. In it, a virus wipes out most of humanity, and one man is sent back in time to stop the end of everything. Like Pluribus, it’s a carefully plotted story rife with moral ambiguity, dark humor, and characters struggling against forces far bigger than themselves.

Where to stream: Available to rent or buy on Prime

The Prisoner

The Prisoner was way ahead of its time, and its portrayal of an MI5 secret agent trapped in a mysterious town for reasons unknown is a perfect precursor to the existential paranoia and surveillance-heavy themes in Pluribus. A mash-up of spy thriller, psychological drama, and allegorical science fiction, The Prisoner's exploration of the tension between individuality and conformity still works. Plus, it's occasionally unhinged in that specific 1960s way that Austin Powers parodied.

Where to stream: Prime

Her

It hasn't taken long for real life to catch up with 2013's Her. This strange rom-com details the relationship between nerdy everyman Theodore and the AI he falls in love with. Like Pluribus, Her questions how technology and modernity are changing our idea of what it means to be human, but Her is intensive instead of extensive, deeply exploring one person's (and one bot's) story without as much focus on the larger world.

Where to stream: Available to rent or buy on Prime and Apple TV+

Severance

One of the things I like about Pluribus is that it's clear Vince Gilligan was provided with the resources, freedom, and time to fully realize his vision, a luxury that seems to be becoming increasingly rare in entertainment. Severance is another example of a high concept, intelligent science fiction story that feels creatively free. Its exploration of alienation and identity is a perfect match with Pluribus.

Where to stream: Apple TV+

The Man Who Fell to Earth

Modern science fiction shows like Pluribus and Severance remind me of the heady, pre-Star Wars sci-fi of the 1970s, where science fiction tropes like spaceships and aliens were used to explore philosophical and cultural ideas in ways realism can't reach. The Man Who Fell to Earth takes on big ideas like isolation, the corrupting influence of capitalism, and what it means to be human (or not human) while wrapping them in a surreal, otherworldly story. Plus, it stars David Bowie as an alien, so it's a must-watch.

Where to stream: Tubi, Pluto TV.

Russian Doll

Russian Doll follows Nadia, an average, urban woman stuck in a time loop. She repeatedly dies and wakes up at her birthday party, like an edgier version of Groundhog Day. Like Pluribus, Russian Doll blends high-concept science fiction with dark humor and explorations of identity, choice, and the meaning of life. The show is clever, fast-paced, and smart—perfect for viewers who like their fantastical stories with a side of introspection and absurdity.

Where to stream: Netflix

The Good Place

There haven't been many (or maybe any) straight-up comedies that explore philosophical ideas like The Good Place does, so it's hard to believe that its big ideas and sit-com style jokes could blend together so smoothly. But they do, and the result is a wholly original show. If Pluribus was played strictly for laughs instead of partly for laughs, it might look something like The Good Place.

Where to stream: Apple TV+

Ex Machina

Ex Machina is a cerebral thriller about a young programmer administering the Turing test to an AI-powered robot named Ava. Like Pluribus, it explores big questions about consciousness and free will, while also playing with the blurred lines between creator and creation. This smart, stylish flick is a must-watch for anyone interested in the philosophical side of sci-fi.

Where to stream: Buy or rent on Prime or YouTube

from News https://ift.tt/bTEnhRe
via IFTTT