Mental Floss

POP CULTURE

Fran Drescher, Daniel Davis, Charles Shaughnessy, and Lauren Lane star in The Nanny.

If you’ve never seen the sitcom 'The Nanny'—which starred Fran Drescher and aired on CBS from 1993 to 1999—all you need to do is listen to the theme song once and you’ll basically be caught up.

Elizabeth Yuko
Benedict Cumberbatch in Sam Mendes's 1917 (2019).

It makes sense that master filmmakers keep returning to old wars to tell new stories, as war movies have all the elements needed for a compelling tale. From medieval epics to modern thrillers, here are 25 of the best of them.

Matthew Jackson


L to R: Depeche Mode members Martin Gore, Dave Gahan, Alan Wilder, and Andrew Fletcher in Berlin in July 1984.

Few bands inspire faith and devotion like Depeche Mode. Over a career spanning four decades, the boys from Basildon, England, have redefined what electronic music can look and sound like.

Kenneth Partridge




George Rose, Getty Images

Versatile comic actor John Candy broke out in 1984's 'Splash,' but you might not know he was once targeted for a Sylvester Stallone movie.

Jake Rossen


Michael Blann/iStock via Getty Images

Find yourself getting restless during a film? It might be because we've become conditioned to expect movies to entertain us for a very specific amount of time.

Jake Rossen


Cary Grant is pictured in a publicity photo circa the 1940s.

Cary Grant reportedly took LSD more than 100 times and was prone to cutting the buttons off his dress shirts. Those two things are probably not related, but you never know.

Jake Rossen






Oscar Isaac stars in Joel and Ethan Coen's Inside Llewyn Davis (2013).

From legendary auteurs like Martin Scorsese to newcomers like Barry Jenkins, moviemakers found new ways to amuse, shock, and thrill us over the past decade—making it a very good time to be a cinephile.

Eric D Snider
HAKINMHAN/iStock via Getty Images Plus

From findings about space and parasites to new discoveries in math and ancient civilizations, 2019 was a big year.

Meredith Danko




Miramax

'Serendipity,' which features John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale as star-crossed lovers who meet once in New York City then reconnect a few years later through a series of events, has become a holiday staple for rom-com fans.

Garin Pirnia




5second/iStock via Getty Images

Americans love cats: There are an estimated 94 million of them living in households nationwide. And it turns out that a lot of them are named Luna.

Alvin Ward
Dan Stevens and Michelle Dockery in Downton Abbey.

There's something oddly comforting about watching your favorite television characters navigate the stress—and joys—of the holiday season. Here are some of our very favorite holiday-themed TV episodes.

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