Kevin Fitzpatrick

If nothing else, last week’s Republican National Convention brought the nation something it sorely needed, that of Stephen Colbert’s return to the “Stephen Colbert” character as only the Colbert Report knew him. That return landed Colbert in some legal hot water, however, so let’s meet his off-brand replacement, Stephen Colbert!

We’re all still collectively grieving the major cast members of Hamilton leaving the show behind, but with it, their slow TV takeover has begun. Lin-Manuel Miranda himself will even drop by Drunk History this coming season, re-telling the tale of Alexander Hamilton to boot!

Initial outrage around the Steven Avery case chronicled in Netflix’s Making a Murderer appeared to have cooled (it was about 700 outrages ago), but it seems the story will indeed continue. Netflix has confirmed filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos have begun production of a second season, centering on new developments in the Avery and Dassey cases.

The sixth season of Game of Thrones made clearer than ever where author George R.R. Martin draws the line at confirming book twists spoiled by the HBO series, but that doesn’t mean the Game of Thrones creator signs off on every adaptational change. Showrunners reveal that Martin has at least a few disagreements with the HBO adjustments, even if he’s “a grown-up and a gentleman about it.”

It remains unclear exactly how long the ninth season of Curb Your Enthusiasm will take to get Larry David before the camera, but it appears as if yet another familiar face will be joining the fray. In addition to J.B. Smoove, Cheryl Hines is now officially expected to reprise her role as Larry’s ex-wife.

Plenty of actors have missed out on Game of Thrones over the years, but rarely does the billion-dollar dragon saga lack the funding to cast its notable names. Such was apparently the case for revered actor Brian Cox, who turned down a role early in the series, a decision he now regrets (but still wants to be paid handsomely for).

If the Golden Globes can reward Lady Gaga, surely ScreenCrush can recognize TV’s best too, right? Right? By gum, we’re going to try.

You may have heard of a small indie program on one of the smaller networks, HBO’s Game of Thrones. People talk about it. In any case, this program appears to have aired a Season 6 finale recently, for which the ratings apparently reached an all-time high. You may commence removing your jaws from the floor, and/or cease howling in confusion.

Everyone engages with Game of Thrones in their own way, many electing to stay off Twitter altogether, but those braving the timeline would likely notice SNL and Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones with some of the best live-tweets out there. Seth Meyers certainly recognized as much, inviting her to watch Sunday’s “Battle of the Bastards” and offer live-commentary.

Most Game of Thrones viewers could explain the politics of Westeros with more familiarity than their own country, but this week’s historic and controversial Brexit vote might just bridge the gap in an alarming way. Pulling Northern Ireland out of the European Union might have a detrimental effect on the final two Game of Thrones seasons, one of many productions affected by the move.